Brussels, 17/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - The latest developments in the scandal over eggs and meat contaminated with dioxin in Germany have convinced the European Commission to send veterinary and food inspectors of the EU to Germany, “by the end of the month”. Frédéric Vincent, the spokesperson to John Dalli, Commissioner for Health and Consumers, announced the news on Monday 17 January.
The row flared up again last weekend, when the German press revealed that one of the German producers of animal feed which received contaminated material in Lower Saxony had not notified the full list of all the farms it had supplied. “Germany was obliged to increase the number of farms closed off. On Monday morning, 943 farms were closed off compared to 316 last Friday. It also transpires that pork meat from closed farms has been exported to Poland and the Czech Republic. It is up to these Member States to check whether or not these products are contaminated”, the spokesperson declared. Further to talks between DG SANCO and the German authorities, it was decided that a team of EU inspectors would travel to Germany “to help the German authorities to monitor the affair”. The suspicion of fraud harboured by the German authorities regarding the origin of the contamination has not been confirmed, for the time being. The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health of the EU will devote its meeting of 18 January to this issue, which will also be included on the agenda of the Agriculture Council of 24 January. (A.N./trans.fl)