Brussels, 25/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - Thursday, the SVC took note of a factual report from the Dutch and German authorities on the origin of incidents relating to shrimps imported from China (see page 10), and, more seriously, veal contaminated by the same antibiotic, wrongfully exported by a Dutch company to Germany and marketed in Germany, France and Austria by a German company. The original technical error, on the part of a Dutch laboratory (and not German as stated in EUROPE of 19 January, p.9) could have had no consequence if the Dutch company had respected the order it received from the national authorities to destroy the meat. For these two affairs, that seem to have no direct link, all suspect products are said to have been taken off the market.
Friday, however, the Dutch authorities triggered the Community early warning system to signal the discovery, by a Dutch laboratory of a calf containing chloramphenicol, parts of which were exported to Italy, France, Greece and Germany, respectively.