China's quality supervisor is suspending the import of Irish pork products and animal feed over concerns the food may be contaminated with a potentially harmful chemical.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) also urged local entry-exit inspection and quarantine inspectors to recall and return pork products already in China if they were made in Ireland after September 1.

Statistics showed China has imported 2,047 tons of pork products since September.

The ban went into effect on Monday. AQSIQ hasn't said when it will be lifted.

On December 6, Ireland announced its pork products were suspected to be tainted with dioxin, a chemical derived from petroleum and believed to be adverse to human health.

Irish authorities started to recall possibly contaminated pork products made after September 1 and suspended pork export to China.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2008)