Yunlin: Sheep meat linked to a farm in Yunlin County was found during a recent safety inspection to contain excessive levels of dioxins but did not enter the market, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Saturday.According to Focus Taiwan, meat from a sheep slaughtered on July 1 under the name of Yun Nong Farm was sampled during a random inspection conducted on July 6. After initial tests showed excessive dioxin levels on July 22, the agency launched a joint investigation with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) and local authorities.The meat contained 4.6 picograms of dioxins per gram of fat (pg/g fat), exceeding the limit of 2.5 pg/g fat. The combined level of dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was 6.1 pg/g fat, also above the limit of 4.0 pg/g fat, the TFDA stated.The TFDA confirmed that the affected sheep meat did not enter the market. However, it noted that 4 metric tons of milk products supplied by Chianan Goat Milk Farmers' C ooperative had been removed from store shelves as a precaution, as they used dairy products from Yun Nong Farm.Authorities inspected the farm but were unable to identify potential dioxin sources within 1 kilometer of the site. Environmental sampling has been conducted to determine the source of the contamination.Dioxins are persistent environmental pollutants that can accumulate in animal fat and the food chain. Long-term exposure to high levels has been linked to health risks, including effects on the immune, reproductive and developmental systems.At a separate event, Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming told reporters that no obvious sources of dioxin contamination had been found near the farm. The ministry is still investigating whether the contamination may have originated from the air, water, or the use of certain waste materials nearby.Asked whether incinerators were being checked as a possible source of airborne dioxins, Peng stated that dioxin concentrations around incinerators were far below pe rmitted limits, allowing authorities to preliminarily rule them out as a concern. He added that more data was needed to determine the source of the contamination, with results from environmental sampling in Yunlin expected next week.