Yunlin goat meat found with excessive dioxins, but did not enter market

Taiwanese authorities discovered excessive dioxin levels in goat meat linked to a farm in Yunlin County, though the meat never reached consumers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that samples taken on July 6 from a goat slaughtered on July 1 showed dioxin levels of 4.6 picograms per gram of fat, surpassing the 2.5 pg/g limit. The combined dioxin and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls level was 6.1 pg/g, also exceeding the 4.0 pg/g threshold.

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Meat from a goat slaughtered on July 1 under the name of Yun Nong Farm （雲農畜牧場） was sampled during a random inspection conducted on July 6.

While the contaminated meat was intercepted, authorities are conducting a joint investigation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment to pinpoint the source of the contamination. Initial inspections of the Yun Nong Farm and its immediate surroundings within a 1km radius failed to identify any dioxin sources. Environmental sampling is underway, with results expected next week, to determine if the contamination originated from air, water, or nearby waste materials.

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The meat contained 4.6 picograms of dioxins per gram （pg/g） of fat, exceeding the limit of 2.5pg/g.

As a precautionary measure, four tonnes of milk products from the Chianan Goat Milk Farmers’ Cooperative were removed from store shelves. These products utilized dairy from the Yun Nong Farm. Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming stated that incinerators were preliminarily ruled out as a source, as dioxin concentrations near them were well below permitted maximums. Dioxins are persistent pollutants known to accumulate in the food chain and can pose long-term health risks.

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The combined level of dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls was 6.1pg/g, also above the limit of 4.0pg/g.