Australia's Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has ordered the irradiation of petfood to cease immediately after receiving evidence that some cats fell ill or died after eating irradiated dry food, according to an article from The Sydney Morning Herald .

Sydney veterinarian Georgina Child initially made the link in 2008 between the cat illnesses and Canadian gourmet petfood Orijen .

Champion Petfoods , Orijen's manufacturer, defended its petfood's integrity by blaming the contaminated food on the irradiation, which the Australian government required upon arrival in the country.

Burke ceased the sterilization process after receiving international reports of cat illness and death due to eating irradiated petfood.