The Department of Agriculture has defended its enforcement policies on illegal substances despite the latest figures on residues found in Irish livestock. They showed significant numbers of positive tests for growth promoters, hormones and antibiotics over the first six months of 1998.
But overall levels are low, and there were no positive tests for clenbuterol, known as "angel dust".
A total of 26 cattle tested positive for growth promoters out of 20,827 tests; 26 were positive for banned hormones out of 652 tests; while 45 out of 1,584 tests were positive for antibiotics.
In pigs, 227 tests for antibiotics were positive out of a total of 22,095 tests. With sheep, four out of 465 tested were positive for antibiotics, while seven out of 20 tests for antibiotics in venison samples were positive.
The Minister of State at the Department, Mr Ned O'Keeffe, said the overall results were "quite satisfactory."
Across the full range of species, residue positives were "at low levels, in most cases around 1 per cent." Nonetheless, the Department would attempt to eliminate any remaining blackspots.
