The Transfer and Uptake of Organic Contaminants into Meat of Chickens, Sheep and Pigs, and Eggs

There have been a number of studies looking at the transfer of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from herbage, soil or animal feed into cows' milk or beef and robust steady state models exist for these processes.

<p>However, data on the transfer of dioxins and PCBs to hens' eggs or chicken meat are more limited and there is very little information about the uptake of dioxins and PCBs by sheep or pigs. This project will generate such data.

<p>The project has been investigating the transfer of dioxins and PCBs, from all sources of dietary intake, into meat of chickens, sheep and pigs, and eggs. Livestock was raised following normal husbandry practices.

<p>This has been done for pigs reared indoors and outdoors, for chickens (for eggs and poultry) raised under free-range and indoor conditions, and for sheep reared under lowland and hill farm conditions.

<p>In addition to samples of meat, offal and eggs, samples of feed, grass, soil and bedding, as well as milk from ewes and from one of the sows, have also been collected. In total, 394 samples have been collected of which a representative sub-set of 105 of these samples have been analysed for dioxins and PCBs by the Central Science Laboratory (CSL).

<p>These results are currently being evaluated and they should provide sufficient data for all the key inputs and outputs to be calculated and enable all the relevant transfer factors to be estimated. However, all the remaining non-analysed samples have been stored and would be available for additional analyses if necessary.

<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/&quot; target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.