Germany: 4,700 Farms Closed Due to Dioxin Contamination of Animal Feed
January 7th, 2011Via: BBC:
German officials are investigating possible “illegal activity” after a company allegedly supplied 25 animal feed makers with 3,000 tonnes of contaminated fatty acids.
Tests from the Harles und Jentzsch plant in Schleswig Holstein found excessive levels of the poisonous chemical dioxin, officials said.
Some 4,700 German farms have been shut.
Officials say the dioxin levels pose no risk to humans, but contamination fears have spread across Europe.
Initially, the scare was confined to Germany but then it emerged that a batch of eggs had been exported to Holland and from there to Britain.
British authorities said that the amounts of dioxin – which is linked to the development of cancer in humans – in any egg would be very small, and not enough to be dangerous.
The dioxin scare has prompted South Korea to block imports of German pork and poultry products because of health concerns, local media reported on Friday.
