02 Apr 2013

About 100 tonnes of meat products from Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) exported to the European Union were recalled last year July because they were found to contain residues of Salinomycin,  Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Oreeditse Molebatsi has said.

Mr Molebatsi told Parliament that the product was banned in Europe because it was a growth enhancer.

He said Salinomycin and other residues were not part of the normal testing that was carried out prior to the dispatch of meat products but rather done as routine surveillance for residues as part of a national residue surveillance plan.

“Testing for residues is done randomly in samples collected from cattle in the farms and meat from the abattoirs”, he said.

Mr Molebatsi said where surveillance detected any suspicion of the presence of growth enhancers or residues of any banned substance, the cattle or meat products were quarantined and detained whilst conformity tests were done.

He said the actual costs incurred by BMC in recalling the product was over P3 million.

Palapye MP, Mr Moiseraela Goya had asked the minister whether 100 tonnes of beef exported to the European Union last year was recalled because it was found to have a substance called Salinomycin.

Mr Goya also wanted to know if this substance formed part of the normal testing that was supposed to be carried out before consignment was dispatched and if so, why this was not carried out.

He also wanted to know how much BMC had to pay to recall the consignment. ENDS