FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY 13 February 2004 Our Ref) MC01318 heiw Thank you for your letter of 18 January 2004, following the nature of the coverage in the media about levels of dioxins in farmed salmon as compared with wild salmon. | can understand that concem will have been expressed within the fish farming industry. The results described in the paper in Science magazine and on which the media coverage was based are not exceptional and are in line with previous data. The European Commission has set @ regulatory limit for dioxins in fish and all of the results reported in the Science paper are well within that limit. Furthermore, the paper compared wild salmon from the Pacific Ocean with farmed salmon from the Atlantic, which we do not regard as an appropriate contrast between wild and farmed fish Data from our surveys show that the level of dioxins in trout appears to be on average approximately 40 to 50% of the level in salmon. Consequently there should be no reason for alarm amongst those of your constituents involved in the production, or indeed consumption of trout. Indeed, the letter from the CSL researchers pointing this out was carried in the New Scientist edition of 31 January. The New Scientist leader sets cut in quite a measured way some of the uncertainties inherent in risk assessment. These will not be restricted to the issue of dioxins in salmon of course. The.approach of the Food Standards Agency towards transparency of the information on which we base our assessment and the process by which our expert committees make their assessment are vital for such informed debate. Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WO2B SNH Switchboard 020 7276 go00 Tel: 0207276 8010 Fax: 020 7276 8627On the issue of dioxins in salmon, our view remains that the known benefit of eating one Portion of oily fish a week outweighs any possible risks. Our line is not challenged by researchers at the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) as stated by Rob Edwards in the same issue of New Scientist. The CSL study investigated the uncertainty in toxicological factors, which will have been part of the risk assessment examined by our Expert Committees. The Committee on Carcinogenicity have also advised us that the EPA's methodology for estimating cancer risk, as used in the original Science article, is not appropriate. The Food Standards Agency is currently conducting an extensive survey for the levels of cioxins in fish and shellfish. This will include a significant number of wild and farmed Atlantic salmon and farmed rainbow trout. The results from this survey will be available towards the end of 2004, dbus WW