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Pork tests carried out

Tests are being carried out on pork in Switzerland that may have originated from the Republic of Ireland to see if it is contaminated with excess dioxins.

The Federal Health Office confirmed around 600 kilograms of suspected Irish pork meat had been delivered to Swiss cantons.

The health office would not comment on whether some of the meat had been sold on to customers, but said checks were taking place in the cantons concerned. The results are not expected for several days.

A spokesperson said there currently was no risk to the population and the government would issue a public warning if contaminated products were found.

More than 20 countries have cleared their shelves of Irish pork after up to 200 times the legal level of dioxin was found in some pig farms.

The British Food Standards Agency is awaiting the results of tests to determine the level of contamination in Irish meat. Dioxins were also found in three Irish cattle herds that had been fed contaminated feed, the authorities said on Tuesday.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR