Germany finds dioxin in pork too

According to the local authorities, quoted by the AFP, an abnormal level of dioxin was discovered in pork meat in northern Germany, after the contaminated eggs scandal.

‘In one of the German farms where contaminated nutritional supplements for animals were discovered last week, pork meat tested positive to dioxin as well’, stated the spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture in Lower Saxony.

‘Therefore, this meat is not tradable and animals must be disposed of and their carcasses burnt’, he added.

He could not give information on the value of the dioxin that was found in the pork meat, or if the limit value was much exceeded.

So far, the eggs have been the only products to show a dioxin level above permitted levels, but several tests on poultry and pork meat and also on cow milk have been required, taking into account that these products could be infected too.

Approximately ‘100, 000 eggs were destroyed in Lower Saxony because of the dioxin. In the following days, another 100, 000 eggs might be destroyed’, stated the spokesperson.

On Monday, the German Minister of Agriculture, Ilse Aigner, tried to assure people that ‘at no moment, and especially now, have the German products been dangerous’ for people’s health.

According to a public survey published on Sunday, one German of five has given up eating eggs.

South Korea announced on Saturday that they will suspend importing pork meat from Germany until the case is definitely solved.

Translated by: Raluca Mizdrea
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University