Dioxin Animal Feed Scare Shuts German Farms

More than 4,700 German farms have been closed after large amounts of animal feed were found to be contaminated with dioxin, a poisonous chemical.

Officials insist the levels of dioxin do not pose a risk to humans, and that the closures are only a precaution.

Most of the affected farms are pig farms in Germany's Lower Saxony region. Meanwhile, the EU has warned that eggs from farms affected by dioxin have entered the UK in processed products destined for human food.

The eggs had been sent to the Netherlands for processing and then on to the UK where they were likely to be destined for use in the production of a variety of food stuffs including mayonnaise and pastries.

The dioxin scare has prompted South Korea to block imports of German pork and poultry products from reaching consumers due to health concerns, local media reported on Friday.

Last week, more than 1,000 German farms were banned from selling eggs after dioxin was found in eggs and poultry.The origin of the contamination has been traced to a distributor in the northern state of Schleswig Holstein, where oils intended for use in bio-fuels were accidentally distributed for animal feed. 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.

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12133361