Europe

Home page

Europe

Germany Says Dioxin Found in Chicken Meat

09 January 2011 00:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Officials with the German agricultural ministry say they have found abnormal levels of dioxin in German chickens after the cancer-causing substance was found in eggs earlier this week, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.
A spokesman for the agriculture ministry told reporters Saturday that fat tissue samples from three chickens were found to have more than twice the allowable levels of dioxin. It is the first time the substance has been found in meat since the contamination was first discovered.
The spokesman says the meat had not been sold.
The discovery comes as South Korea announced Saturday it was halting all imports of German pork and poultry. South Korean officials say they will quarantine German meat products until they are checked for contamination.
Russia also announced it is tightening restrictions on meats imported from Germany.
The dioxin was found in agricultural products made by the German company Harles and Jentzsch. The firm manufactures ingredients to enrich feed for poultry and swine.
As a result, Germany has shut down nearly 5,000 farms that produce poultry, pork and eggs.
On Friday, German officials said they had filed charges against Harles and Jentzsch because the firm did not immediately inform authorities about the chemical contamination.
Agricultural officials say the company was aware that higher-than-permitted levels of the cancer-causing toxin existed in the product as early as March 2010.