DNA testing shows pork claimed to be Irish may be from elsewhere

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  Not all pork sold under claims it is Irish is really of Irish origin, according to recent DNA testing.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Nearly one third of DNA samples of pork tested in butcher shops around Ireland showed the samples were not really Irish pork, despite being sold as Irish pork.
  Irish Farmers’ Association National Pigs and Pigmeat Committee Chairman Pat O’Flaherty said the latest DNA results proved that the misleading of consumers remains a serious issue.
  “Previous DNA testing of pig meat in Irish butchers revealed that over 50 percent of the products sampled from across the butchers was not assigned to the Irish boar database. In December, we again tested butchers (independent and retail) in Wexford, Galway, Cork and Cavan to ascertain their levels of Irish product. Of the 91 products samples, 26 (29 percent) were not assigned to the database. Of the 26 non-Irish products, 25 originated in independent butchers' shops,” said O’Flaherty.
  “Another major cause for concern is that fact that there were a number of stores stocking imported loin chops. Of the 26 products that were not Irish, 40 percent were loin chops and 44 percent were back rashers. We are horrified that fresh pork is being imported into this country. This is a new development and one which the consumer would never expect.”
  O’Flaherty said through its traceability program, IFA representatives asked butchers in every store it visited if the pig meat was Irish, but “not one butcher admitted that the products were imported.”
  The IFA National Pigs and Pigmeat Committee is now meeting with the butchers, particularly those that showed least support for Irish farmers in an effort to increase transparency.
  “IFA wants to support local businesses. We appreciate that the local butcher is under pressure, however that is not an excuse to mislead the consumer on the origin of their meat,” O’Flaherty concluded.