An inspection of Northern Ireland’s flagship food testing centre found procedures to be “unsafe” and “deficiencies” in the containment of dangerous pathogens.
Routine checks at the Agrifood and Biosciences Institute (Afbi) by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found a raft of shortcomings, including “weaknesses in administrative and governance arrangements” and a lack of evidence to demonstrate its testing facilities were fit for purpose.
The revelations, described by one MLA as “alarming”, come just weeks after it emerged that a data breach at Afbi involving the details of more than 250 farmers and dozens of businesses went undetected for 18 months and only came to light after the organisation was alerted externally.
Afbi is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) with facilities across the north, including in south Belfast and Hillsborough.
With an annual budget of almost £60m, it undertakes scientific research and provides food and animal testing services for the public and private sectors.
On Tuesday, Agriculture and Environment Minister Andrew Muir told the Assembly that the HSE report had identified areas where Afbi’s biosafety, laboratory working practices, and associated assurance arrangements “need to be strengthened”.
Mr Muir said the HSE report had highlighted a number of issues, including “deficiencies in procedures and controls required to ensure effective biocontainment”.
“At the time of inspection, the testing procedures for the bluetongue virus were found to be unsafe, with measures required to protect the environment,” he said.
“Fortunately, at the time of the inspection and since the time of the incursion of bluetongue, Northern Ireland has been in a vector low period, therefore, the risk of onward transmission from Afbi facilities is negligible.”
The minister said there was no evidence of “any breach or existential risk” to public or animal health and that mitigations were in place to ensure diagnostic and surveillance services were safe.
“However, the report does make very clear that some significant improvements are needed,” he said.
In a statement, Afbi’s board, which is chaired by Prof Grace Mulcahy, said it was “actively responding” to the matters highlighted and had already begun to “drive improvements and address all issues raised”.
SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan, a member of the Stormont agriculture and environment committee, said that instead of acting as a model of best practice, Afbi appeared to be “falling short of the basic standards expected across industry”.
“It’s alarming that he Afbi is failing to carry out even its most basic functions,” the West Tyrone representative said.
“It’s clear that fundamental change is necessary if the Afbi is to carry out its function as a demonstration of good practice in partnership with agricultural sector.”