BELGIUM: Dioxin monitoring on the agenda of EU agriculture minister after Germany food scandal

Record ID: 739498

  • Title: BELGIUM: Dioxin monitoring on the agenda of EU agriculture minister after Germany food scandal
  • Date: 25th January 2011
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JANUARY 24, 2011) (REUTERS) EU COUNCIL EXTERIOR EU FLAG AND EU LOGO
  • Embargoed: 9th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium, Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAE2K5IGIIRWZ1716D1NX2FQNVB
  • Story Text: EU agriculture ministers discussed on Monday (January 24) how to improve the safety of food production after cancer-causing dioxin was found in some eggs, poultry and pork in Germany last month.
    The scandal, caused by contaminated animal feed, has outraged consumers, triggered international health alerts and hit sales of German eggs and meat.
    In response to the case, the German government announced an action plan to separate the production of oil and fats for industrial and agricultural use and to introduce a new licensing system for animal feed producers.
    ''It's about the registration of producers, animal feed producers. It's about the separation in the supply chain between industrial fats and the fats for animal feed production. It's about monitoring the dioxin," said German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner.
    EU commissioner for health and consumer policy John Dalli said the feed sector must be regulated.
    ''The compulsory approval of establishments manufacturing, treating and marketing fats and fatty acids could be a reasonable measure to gain more control over such activities. Second, the suggested separation of production streams should be examined very thoroughly in this respect,'' Dalli said.
    Thousands of hens have been culled and and hundreds of farms were closed for checks in Germany after traces of dioxin was found in eggs produced in Germany's northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.
    Dioxins are poisons formed by burning waste and through other industrial processes, which have been shown to contribute to increased cancer rates and to affect pregnant women.
    On Friday, German authorities investigating the food scandal said they had traced the source of the dioxin to used chip fat which had undergone industrial processing.
    Thousands of German protesters took to the streets in Berlin on Saturday to demand a change in farming methods.
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