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**Pathfinder** · January 6, 2011, 03:02 PM

Re: Germany - Dioxin shuts farms, forces hen cull

<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Archive Number</TD><TD noWrap align=left>20110105.0053</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Published Date</TD><TD noWrap align=left>05-JAN-2011</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Dioxin feed contamination - Germany: swine & poultry farms</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

DIOXIN FEED CONTAMINATION - GERMANY: SWINE & POULTRY FARMS***********************************************

A ProMED-mail post<http://www.promedmail.org>ProMED-mail is a program of theInternational Society for Infectious

Diseases<http://www.isid.org>Date: Tue 4 Jan 2011Source: Pig Progress [edited]<http://www.pigprogress.net/news/dioxin-contaminated-feed-causes-pig-farms-to-be-quarantined-6844.html>

</PRE>
In Northern Germany, about 1000 poultry and pig farms have been
temporarily quarantined due to an in-feed dioxin scam. At least one,
but possibly up to 9, feed manufacturers may be involved.

In the state of Lower Saxony alone, about 1000 farms (layer hens,
broilers or pigs) have been quarantined last Monday as a
precautionary measure. Suppliers were forced to suspend deliveries
amid ongoing checks. The dioxin, which can cause cancer in humans,
was found to have entered the food chain last week through eggs and
poultry meat.

In another state, North Rhine Westphalia, about 8000 layer hens had
to be culled. The state's agricultural ministry found increased
levels of dioxin at one of its laboratory tests. In one case, levels
were 4 times the allowed rate.

The research into the layer hens will be extended for that reason,
the ministry announced.

The dioxin eggs have been traced to originate from a farm with
multiple poultry houses near the town of Soest [map at
<http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl>]. These farms will be
blocked. Tests into a different egg farm in the neighbourhood of the
town of Steinfurt have not been finished yet.

The dioxin is believed to have stemmed from feed contaminated with
industrial fats. Authorities believe these fats were substituted for
vegetable fats at some point in the tainted feed's manufacturing process.

German feed manufacturer Harles & Jentzsch 1st alerted authorities of
levels of dioxin present in the feed. The manufacturer is pointing a
finger towards a biodiesel producer called Petrotec, although this
company has already denied allegations of being guilty of the dioxin scandal.

Petrotec says it only delivered raw materials to the feed
manufacturer, insisting that these materials only be used for
technical purposes (e.g. soap), not as a feed or food ingredient.

More than one animal feed company may have been receiving deliveries
including fats which contained dioxin, a substance which is
stubbornly persistent once released into the environment.

Possibly 9 manufacturers in the states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt
and Hamburg would be involved.

The Minister for Consumer Affairs in North Rhine Westphalia, Johannes
Remmel, told a local newspaper that the contamination must either be
the work of criminals or the result of extreme negligence.

Either way, he stressed the importance of finding the feed fats -- or
feed into which they may subsequently have been mixed -- known to
have been delivered to manufacturers in 5 German states.

"We cannot rule out that there are dioxin-contaminated eggs sitting
on shop shelves," he said.

German authorities have added that no contaminated feed has been
transported to the neighbouring Netherlands. It's unclear whether
contaminated eggs have entered the Dutch market.

--
Communicated by:
Sabine Zentis
Gut Laach
52385 Nideggen
<http://www.cvlonghorns.de>
<CVLonghorns@aol.com>

[The article does not tell us what the levels are or how long they
suspect the contaminated feed may have been being fed to animals.
They do tell us that that they entered the food chain in eggs and
poultry meat last week.

One has to realize that dose exposure makes the toxin, so knowing the
dose as well as the time is important to calculate the levels in the
animals. There is good scientific literature on animal feed and human
food regarding dosage and dioxin. There is a growing body of evidence
that extremely low levels may not cause cancer. There is much
controversy surrounding dioxin and its dangers vs. possible benefits.
The controversy has raged since the early 1970's and is likely to continue.

Also, where there are dioxins, one should also be testing for PCBs
(polychlorinated biphenyls).

But lets look at what dixons are. Dioxin is a catch-all term for a
6-member ring where oxygen has been substituted for 2 of the carbon
atoms. This general structure gives rise to a number of related
compounds all having that 6-member ring with oxygen substitutions.
Therefore, there are a group of chemicals with dioxin-like activity.
Those chemicals include:

-- 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (2,37,8-TCDD). This is generally
regarded as a base or benchmark for assessment of the relative
toxicity of other dioxin-like compounds. It may be the most potent of
dioxin-like compounds, and, therefore, other chemicals' toxicity may
be measured against it.

-- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). This chemical grouping is
generally associated with electrical transformers and should be of
concern in this case. This group of compounds are related
structurally to PCDD and PCDF, which also have dixion-like activity.

-- Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD) and Polychlorinated
dibenzofurans (PCDF) are both known as furan derivatives because of a
common chemical structure within the molecule and therefore are
similar in their toxicities.

-- Dibenzofurans are also a component and parent compound of PCDD and
PCDF and share a dioxin-like toxicity with these other compounds.

Dioxins are relatively omnipresent in the universe. They are very
persistent chemicals. Almost everyone has some minor level of these
classes of compounds or what is called a background level of these
toxins. Most human exposure is through food. These chemicals
accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and humans. Therefore,
humans are exposed through consumption of meat, eggs, dairy and dairy
products, fish and shellfish.

Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental
problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also
cause cancer.

Dioxins can be incorporated in fetal development stages and cause
developmental problems. They may have an interfering affect on the
immunological and hormonal systems and be responsible for some cancers.

There are a host of regulations and literature on this topic.
Therefore, opinions and literature supporting one or the other
position are not likely to be posted on ProMED-mail. - Mod.TG]

[see also:
2010
----
Dioxin contamination - Germany, Netherlands (03): eggs, organic 20100514.1570
Dioxin contamination - Germany, Netherlands (02): eggs, organic 20100513.1554
Dioxin contamination - Germany, Netherlands: table eggs, organic 20100511.1540
2008
----
Dioxin contamination, pig meat - Ireland, Europe (03) 20081210.3883
Dioxin contamination, pig meat - Ireland, Europe (02) 20081208.3857
Dioxin contamination, pig meat - Ireland, Europe 20081207.3842
Dioxin, buffalo mozzarella cheese - Italy: (Campania) 20080327.1146
2006
----
Dioxin, animal feed - Belgium (02) 20060206.0390
Dioxin, animal feed - Belgium 20060130.0303
2004
----
Dioxin, feed contamination - Netherlands (02): exported 20041110.3042
Dioxin, feed contamination - Netherlands 20041106.3009
2003
----
Dioxin, feed contamination - Germany (Thuringia) 20030210.0363
2001
----
Dioxin food levels, WHO statement 20010108.0065]
...............................................arn/tg/msp/mpp

[...]

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/apex/f?p=2400:1001:3884129289509649::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,86510

**Emily** · January 7, 2011, 03:02 AM

Re: Germany - Dioxin shuts farms, forces hen cull

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12133402

7 January 2011 Last updated at 02:49 ET

German dioxin contamination eggs exported to UK

Related stories

* Dioxin scare shuts German farms
* German dioxin worse than feared
* Germans warned about tainted eggs

Eggs from German farms where animal feed has been contaminated by dioxins have found their way into processed products destined for British food.

The EU executive said 14 tonnes of the liquid food had been exported to the UK but stressed there was a very low risk to human health....

.....The problem has been traced to oils intended for bio-fuel becoming mixed with oil destined for animal feed....

**Tonka** · January 7, 2011, 02:01 PM

Thousands of quiches and cakes were sold in British supermarkets over Christmas, which contained eggs contaminated by dioxins.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddr...oxic-eggs.html More from the source.

Supermarket cakes and quiches used toxic eggs
Thousands of quiches and cakes were sold in British supermarkets over Christmas, which contained eggs contaminated by dioxins.
The farms will be closed until they are found to be clear of contamination by dioxin, a toxic chemical compound that can cause cancer Photo: GETTY By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor 5:15PM GMT 07 Jan 2011
Comment
The dioxins, which have the potential to cause cancer, originated in Germany and have raised fresh questions about British food labelling and this country's reliance on food imports.

Fourteen tons of the contaminated liquid egg ? large vats of de-shelled eggs bought by caterers and manufacturers ? entered Britain last month. The liquid egg was bought by two leading food companies which supply supermarkets: Samworth Brothers, who own Gingsters pasties, and Finsbury Foods, the country's biggest cake maker.

Both companies refused to give details of which quiches and cakes were affected or how many, but both Tesco and Morrisons confirmed that they had sold products which contained the contaminated eggs.

Sainsbury's said its children's Caterpillar Cake was also potentially affected.....

**Shiloh** · January 7, 2011, 03:20 PM

Re: Germany - Dioxin shuts farms, forces hen cull

Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/...0771294430413/

German dioxin scandal reaches Britain
Published: Jan. 7, 2011 at 3:00 PM

LONDON, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The German dioxin scare spreads across the continent as a shipment of contaminated eggs has made its way into Britain in processed products.

Thousands of cakes and quiches sold in British supermarkets over Christmas included in their ingredients liquid eggs contaminated with dioxin, an industrial by-product that can cause cancer, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Friday. The liquid eggs were sold by Dutch farms that had imported contaminated eggs from Germany.

British authorities are investigating the delivery but European Commission health spokesman Frederic Vincent said the levels detected aren't harmful...

**Sally Furniss** · January 7, 2011, 04:39 PM

Re: Germany - Dioxin shuts farms, hens culled, eggs exported

The 2 threads "Germany - Dioxin shuts farms, forces hen cull" and "Thousands of quiches and cakes were sold in British supermarkets over Christmas, which contained eggs contaminated by dioxins." have been merged

**makoto** · January 8, 2011, 01:31 AM

Re: Germany - Dioxin shuts farms, hens culled, eggs exported

english news from Japan

Scare over German dioxin-tainted eggs spreads

Food security concern stemming from German eggs contaminated with dioxin is spreading as the eggs were found to have been exported to other European countries.

The toxic substance was detected in animal feed produced by a company in northern Germany in late December.

Investigators this week found traces of dioxin 2 times higher than the EU's permissible level in eggs shipped from a poultry farm that was using the tainted feed.

Some of the eggs were shipped for processing and exported to Britain and the Netherlands.

Health authorities say the eggs would pose little health risk to consumers.

More than 4,700 poultry and pig farms have been closed so far, and at least 8,000 chickens were destroyed.

Police are investigating a company that delivered industrial oil to the feed manufacturing firm.

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 11:53:00 +0900(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
nhk world http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/08_13.html and video

**Pathfinder** · January 9, 2011, 02:53 PM

Re: Germany - Dioxin shuts farms, hens culled, eggs exported

<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Archive Number</TD><TD noWrap align=left>20110108.0096</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Published Date</TD><TD noWrap align=left>08-JAN-2011</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Dioxin feed contamination - Germany (02): farms & food concern</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

DIOXIN FEED CONTAMINATION - GERMANY (02): FARMS AND FOOD CONCERN
************************************************** **************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

[1]
Date: 7 Jan 2011
Source: NY Times [edited]
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/world/europe/08dioxin.html?_r=1&hp>

Germans Fear Dioxin Has Contaminated Small Farms
------------------------------------------------
German officials halted sales from more than 4700 small farms after
dioxin was found in some feed for chickens and pigs and as fears grew
about how far contaminated food might have spread.

South Korea and Slovakia on Friday [7 Jan 2011] banned the sale of
some animal products imported from Germany, while Britain and the
Netherlands were investigating whether imported foods like
mayonnaise, were safe to eat, according to the Associated Press.

The order to stop sales from the farms has led to the withdrawal from
the market of millions of eggs, as prosecutors investigate how a
rapeseed oil processed by a company that supplied the feed became
contaminated by dioxin. The substance can cause severe health
problems in humans, including cancer and miscarriages.

Since the scare became public at the beginning of this week [3 Jan
2011], up to 3000 tons of an additive to poultry feed have been found
to contain traces of dioxin, according to a report from the German
Agriculture Ministry. In a country where scares concerning food
safety can sometimes lead to hysteria or panic buying, regional
authorities and the federal government moved quickly to reassure the
public, saying that the level of dioxin would be too low to pose health risks.

There were fears that the health scare may have gone beyond Germany's
borders to the Netherlands. According to Holger Eichele, a spokesman
for the German Agricultural and Consumer Protection Ministry, a total
of 136 000 eggs were delivered to a Dutch firm. "The company has
already been informed about the problem and so has the European
Commission," Mr. Eichele said. "We are not aware of any other
deliveries to other E.U. member states."

Ilse Aigner said the federal and local authorities would consider
whether regulations on animal feed needed tightening. After speaking
to John Dali, the European Union's health commissioner Thursday
evening [6 Jan 2011], Ms. Aigner called for stricter regulation on
animal feed to protect consumers and farmers throughout the bloc.

"In the coming weeks, I will explore with our E.U. partners and
stakeholders ways to further strengthen our monitoring processes of
dioxin in feed," Mr. Dali said in a statement.

The scare began when Harles and Jentzsch, a German firm in the
northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, allegedly supplied up to 3000
tons of contaminated fatty acids meant for industrial use to animal
feed producers.

The company says the contamination of its animal feed with
dioxin-laced industrial fat was an isolated case and that it notified
the authorities. The feed was delivered mostly to hog and poultry
farms, and eggs from some of the suspect farms were exported to the
Netherlands. As a result, around 8000 chickens from German farms were culled.

The German Farmers' Association has called for the feed producers to
compensate farmers for their losses. "Whoever causes the damages
should also pay for them," the secretary general of the association,
Helmut Born, told the German daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.

Gerd Sonnleitner, president of the association, said on Friday that
the estimated loss to the industry was USD 52 million to USD 70 million a week.

Ms. Aigner said the company responsible for the contamination would
have to pay the consequences. "Whoever puts the existence of hundreds
of companies and the health of consumers at risk must be held
accountable," she said.

[Byline: Judy Dempsey]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

******
[2]
Date: 7 Jan 2011
Source: Speigel On line [edited]
<http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,738337,00.html>

Report Claims German Company Knew of Dioxin for Weeks
-----------------------------------------------------
More than 4700 farms have been temporarily closed in Germany as a
result of a feed contamination scare. On Friday [7 Jan 2011],
officials in one German state said samples taken from the company at
the center of the investigation indicated contamination with the
carcinogen dioxin as far back as March [2010]. State officials in
Germany have found that animal feed discovered this week to have been
polluted by industrial oil has apparently been in circulation longer
than previously reported.

Germany has been shocked by the food tainting scandal, which has
spread to 13 different German states and could have affected
neighboring countries. At issue is dioxin, a known cancer-causing
agent, which has been found at high levels in eggs and is feared be
in poultry and pork coming from farms that used feed polluted by the toxin.

A spokesperson for the Agriculture Ministry in the northern state of
Schleswig-Holstein confirmed on Friday a report in the Hannoversche
Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper that a private laboratory discovered
twice the amount of legally permitted dioxin in a test, taken in
March [2010], of animal feed from the firm Harles and Jentzsch, which
is at the center of the scandal. The ministry 1st learned of that
violation on 27 Dec 2010, the report stated.

The newspaper reported that the animal feed company had commissioned
the test on its own accord but did not share the findings with state
authorities. The state's feed monitoring agency in the city of
Uetersen seized the sample on 29 Dec 2010 and turned it over to
public prosecutors. A spokesman for the Agriculture Ministry told the
newspaper that there had been other irregularities discovered during
the company's own inspections since March [2010], which are also
being investigated.

Thousands of Farms Closed
-------------------------
The Federal Agricultural and Consumer Protection Ministry in Berlin
announced Friday [7 Jan 2011] that a total of 4709 farms have been
temporarily closed in Germany, and have banned from selling meat or
eggs as a result of the contamination scare. European Union officials
have reported that eggs contaminated in the scandal have been
exported to Britain and the Netherlands for use in the production of
food. In South Korea, government officials moved on Friday to block
imports of German pork and poultry products.

Most of the farms feared to have been supplied with the contaminated
feed are located in the western state of Lower Saxony. A total of
4468 companies have been affected, with a large number of those being
hog farms. The ministry said the decision to close the farms was
purely a precautionary measure. "Even if part of the 1st tests didn't
show anything unusual, the preventative protection of public health
takes absolute priority," ministry officials said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in Brussels, the European Commission said on Thursday
night it did not believe that the levels of dioxin found pose health
risks to humans. Dioxins are created by burning waste or in other
industrial processes and are known carcinogens.

Although it remains unclear how the dioxin ended up in the animal
feed, investigators believe that dioxin-tainted industrial oils were
accidentally mixed in with fat used for animal feed at Harles and
Jentzsch. On Thursday, the company denied rumors it was threatened
with insolvency because of the contamination scandal.

In response to the issue, German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner, of
the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), has called for
stricter regulations across Europe to ensure the protection of the
food chain. Her ministry issued a statement saying she had spoken
with the European Union's consumer protection minister, John Dalli,
about the need for binding EU standards to isolate toxic materials.
"Companies that produce fat for animal feed should not be producing
materials on the same premises for the technical industry," Aigner said.

Dioxin 10 Times the Permitted Level
-----------------------------------
Independent tests have confirmed high levels of dioxin in Harles and
Jentzsch's products. In 9 of 20 tests at the company, dioxin levels
exceeded the highest permitted value of 0.75 nanograms, the state
Agriculture Ministry in Schleswig-Holstein has reported.

According to the ministry, the highest level found was 10.05
nanograms, 10 times the legal limit. The ministry said that the 9
samples "were not suited for the production of animal feed because it
exceeded the maximum permitted yield," the ministry said. The test
samples were collected by the company.

The German federal government is reporting that up to 150 000 tons of
feed for chickens, turkey and swine have been contaminated with the
toxin. The fat provided by Harles and Jentzsch had been mixed into
products made by 25 different feed manufacturers.

But Aigner, the federal agriculture minister, said that, so far,
there is no knowledge of any health impact on consumers. On Thursday,
officials in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate also discovered
500 eggs at a company that had received a delivery of
dioxin-contaminated feed, broadening the scandal to 13 German states.
In Hesse, young swine have been found that had consumed contaminated
feed. There is also evidence that dioxin-contaminated goods reached
the southwestern state of Baden-Wurttemberg.

In Bavaria, eggs seized by authorities have tested positive for
dioxin contamination. Contaminated feed was also sent to farms with
laying hens and hogs in the states of Brandenburg,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North
Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.

The scandal broke in Germany on Monday, and farmers are now demanding
an estimated Euro 40 million (USD 52 million) to Euro 60 million (USD
78.1 million) in compensation for each week they are affected by the
contamination.

Food contamination issues are particularly sensitive in Europe, where
memories are still fresh of the spread of mad cow disease and
problems with foot and mouth disease.

--
Communicated by:
Zofar Gali <zofargali@hotmail.com>

******
[3]
Date: 7 Jan 2011
Source: BBC [edited]
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12139407>

Dioxin scare: German feed fat 'contains 77 times limit'
-------------------------------------------------------
Tests from the Harles und Jentzsch plant in northern Germany found
excessive levels of dioxin. Newly released test results have revealed
much more of a toxic chemical in tainted animal feed than previously
thought. The tests at the plant in northern Germany where the
contamination happened revealed levels of dioxin at 77 times the
permitted level.

The plant produces fats to be used in industrial processes like
paper-making as well as to enrich feeds for animals. The dioxin-laden
industrial substance went into the animal feed ingredient. Initially
the scare was confined to Germany, but then it emerged that a batch
of affected eggs had been exported to the Netherlands for processing
and from there to Britain. The processed eggs were destined for use
in the production of a variety of foodstuffs including mayonnaise,
cakes and quiches.

Some 4700 German farms have been banned from making deliveries after
tests at the Harles und Jentzsch plant in the state of
Schleswig-Holstein.The firm was found to have supplied 25 animal feed
makers with 3000 tonnes of contaminated fat. German officials say the
farm measures are only a precaution.

Authorities believe some 150 000 tons of feed for poultry and swine
containing the fat have been fed to livestock across the country.
South Korea has reacted by blocking imports of German pork and
poultry products.

According to Schleswig-Holstein's agriculture ministry, the
contaminated fats contained 58 nanograms of dioxin per kilogram. The
acceptable limit is 0.75 nanograms of dioxin per kilogram.

The ministry has confirmed that tests as far back as March last year
[2010] showed high levels of dioxins, but it was unaware of the
results until late December [2010].

Those results have now been seized as evidence by prosecutors. "The
1st indications point to a high level of illegal activity," said a
spokesman for German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner on Friday.
"There are indications that the company was not even officially
registered, in order not to expose itself to official controls," he added.

A doctor from the town of Havixbeck, near Munster, has lodged a
criminal complaint of attempted murder and severe injury against
Harles und Jentzsch, saying the company had acted out of greed.

German agriculture officials will brief their European Union
counterparts next week and the incident could lead to new rules on
animal feed. Dioxins are toxins formed by industrial processes and
waste burning.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

******
[4]
Date: 7 Jan 2011
Source: The Guardian [edited]
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/07/dioxin-alert-eggs-enter-uk-german-farms>

German contaminated egg scare spreads to British supermarkets
-------------------------------------------------------------
Food agency confirms liquid egg containing illegal levels of dioxins
has been used in cakes and quiches sold in UK. Cakes and quiches sold
in British supermarkets have been contaminated by dioxins after a
food scare in Germany that led to the closure of almost 5000 farms.

The Food Standards Agency is playing down the risk to human health
but has advised supermarkets to clear their shelves of the products
as a precaution.

A spokesman said: "The products that the liquid egg went into were
short shelf-life cakes and quiches that have gone to a variety of
retailers including most of the high street supermarkets."

The products involved have not yet been named. But the FSA revealed
that contaminated liquid eggs were supplied to Kensey Foods in
Cornwall, a division of Samworth Brothers, and Memory Lane Cakes Ltd
in Cardiff, a division of Finsbury Food Group.

The FSA said it did not have a "definitive list" of the supermarkets
that sold the cakes and quiches involved but Tesco and Morrisons were
2 of them.

"Supermarkets are removing the small amount of products that are
still in date," the FSA spokesman said. "Because of the short shelf
life of these products it is likely that most has gone through the
system, as it were. So there won't be a lot on shelves."

A spokesman for Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket chain, said: "At
the moment I am not aware of us clearing any products off our
shelves." Earlier it was revealed that 14 tonnes of liquid egg
contaminated in the scare had entered the UK.

Health officials insist that the liquid, used in foods such as
pastries and mayonnaise, poses a very low risk to human health.

The contamination originated in Germany, where up to 3000 tonnes of
animal feed containing dangerous levels of dioxin were sent to
poultry and pig farms. Tests on eggs from affected farms had been
found to contain up to 5 times the legal EU limit for dioxin.

Germany closed more than 4700 farms as a result. Armies of health
inspectors have been dispatched to carry out checks on all the farms
suspected of using the feed. They must remain closed until they have
been given the all clear. German consumers have been advised to buy
only organic eggs and meat until inspections have been completed.

The scare is costing German farmers Euro 60 million (British pounds
550 million) a week as egg sales have plummeted.

On Wednesday [5 Jan 2011] the Food Standards Agency said the
contaminated food had not entered the UK. But in an update last night
[6 Jan 2011] it said contaminated pasteurised liquid egg had been
distributed to the UK. The liquid is a mixture of contaminated and
non-contaminated eggs processed in the Netherlands.

In a statement the FSA said: "The mixing of the eggs will have
diluted the levels of dioxins and they are not thought to be a risk
to health. The FSA is currently liaising with the industry and will
provide further updates as information becomes available."

The European commission health spokesman, Frederic Vincent, said 14
tonnes of the affected liquid had entered the UK. "Whether it went
into mayonnaise, pastries, I don't know. So we will probably take a
look at this with the UK authorities and see what was done with these
eggs," he said.

Vincent said the detected levels of dioxin were not a health risk.
"You would have to eat a lot of eggs, or a lot of processed products
made with these eggs, in order for this to actually pose a risk to
human health."

The problem appears to have originated when oils intended for biofuel
became mixed with oil destined for animal feed.

Newspaper reports have accused the supplier at the centre of the
affair of distributing the feed despite knowing for months about the
contamination levels. The Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung reported
that fatty acids destined for animal feed produced by the company
Harles und Jentsch tested positive for illegally high levels of
dioxin in March 2010.

Those fatty acids were passed on to another company that distributed
them to feed producers around Germany, Gert Hahne, spokesman for the
Lower Saxony agriculture ministry, told the paper.

Politicians and farming industry chiefs have called for tighter
controls to hinder what Thuringia's agriculture minister, Jurgen
Reinholz, called the "charlatans of the industry."

Dioxins are formed by industrial processes and waste burning. Low
levels occur naturally in foods. At high concentrations they have
been shown to contribute to higher cancer rates and affect pregnant women.

[Byline: Kate Connolly and Matthew Weaver]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[While there is some overlap among these articles it gives a clear
and relatively comprehensive picture, as we know today, that this is
a longer standing and farther reaching problem than was initially believed.

The levels are certainly higher than are allowed. Of course there are
cancer concerns, especially for those already immunologically
affected, the pregnant and the very young. I say the very young
because they have a lifetime to live and develop cancer. While this
level is higher than the regulatory limit, it is very very tiny and
does not began to compare with what Italy experienced in 1976.

The previous ProMED-mail post 20110105.0053 moderator's comment
provided an overview of dioxins. But perhaps some pertinent history
should be a reminder regarding dioxins.

Seveso, Italy, suffered a dioxin release many times higher than this
particular accident (around 50 micrograms). While there were
immediate cases of chloracne and some animal deaths, there were few
other consequences. A study done in the early 1990's demonstrated
that there was no higher death rate and no higher cancer rate than in
areas that had no contamination from the dioxin.

To provide a little more perspective 50 micrograms would be 50 000
nanograms, or 5000 times more than what this current level of concern
is. Therefore, it is even more important to realize that aside from
immediate cases of chloracne, and some dead animals, there was not an
increase in cancer rates or death rates.

Chloracne is an acne-like eruption of blackheads, cysts, and pustules
associated with over-exposure to certain halogenated aromatic
compounds, such as chlorinated dioxins and dibenzofurans.

In the late 1990's Europe suffered another such contamination and
milk and eggs and meat were removed from the shelves and fear was
rampant. There has not been any substantial increase in cancers or
deaths because of that incident. - Mod.TG]

...

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/apex/f?p=2400:1001:1694361092894102::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,86564

**Gert van der Hoek** · January 11, 2011, 06:04 AM

Re: Germany - Dioxin shuts farms, hens culled, eggs exported

Germany finds dioxin in pork as well as poultry

Tue Jan 11, 2011

* One farm's pigs dioxin levels tested high, another OK

* German officials due to brief EU in Brussels Tuesday

BERLIN/HAMBURG, Jan 11 (Reuters) - German authorities said on Tuesday the highly toxic chemical dioxin had been discovered in pork in addition to poultry products, which would expand the range of a current health alert.

German and European Union authorities are dealing with an alert that began on Jan. 3, when German officials said dioxin-tainted feed had been fed to hens and pigs, contaminating eggs and poultry meat at the affected farms.

Authorities in the northern state of Lower Saxony said on Tuesday that pork from one pig farm had show dioxin levels above permitted levels and that several hundred pigs on the farm had been slaughtered and the meat disposed of.

Samples of pig meat on another farm had shown dioxin levels at around permitted levels, the state said.

read more

**AlaskaDenise** · January 11, 2011, 07:22 AM

Re: Germany -Dioxin in eggs, pork, poultry - Farms shut , pigs and hens culled

Here is one study that shows Dioxins impact the immune system and specifically the ability to fight respiratory infections. Also note the paragraph about potential epigenetic changes to the immune systems of offspring.

See: http://lifesciences.envmed.rochester...est/index.html

(snipped - this part may relate to influenza)

Our laboratory has shown that by binding AhR, dioxin negatively affects the ability combat viral infection. One way dioxin affects the immune system is to reduce the response of virus specific CD8+ T cells. Fighting a viral infection is kind of like a race between the virus' ability to multiply and the host's ability to create an army of immune cells that kill the virus and virus-infected cells. Our data from mouse studies suggests that activation of AhR results in effects upon dendritic cells that then lead to decreased T cell function. Another way that dioxin affects immune function is to increase inflammation in the infected lung. Inflammation is an important part of fighting infection, but too much inflammation is detrimental?and our data suggest that when AhR is activated by dioxin, inflammation goes overboard.

.

**Pathfinder** · January 11, 2011, 09:16 AM

Re: Germany -Dioxin in eggs, pork, poultry - Farms shut , pigs and hens culled

Dioxin feed spreads to France and Denmark

By Charlie Dunmore and Michael Hogan
BRUSSELS/HAMBURG | Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:27pm EST

BRUSSELS/HAMBURG (Reuters) - France and Denmark were the latest countries drawn into Germany's dioxin food scare on Monday, after an EU official said tainted animal feed had been exported from Germany to both countries.

German and European Union authorities are struggling to contain the health alert, which began when German officials announced on January 3 that dioxin-tainted feed had been fed to hens and pigs, contaminating eggs and meat at the affected farms.

"In Denmark these products were used for breeder hens, which are not in fact marketed (for human consumption)," said Frederic Vincent, European Commission health and consumer spokesman, at a daily press briefing in Brussels.

"In the case of France, in the lot exported, apparently the concentration of dioxin was lower than the maximum authorized concentration allowed in EU law for animal feed," Vincent added.

Read more:

reuters.com

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70929P20110110

**Gert van der Hoek** · January 15, 2011, 05:27 PM

Re: Germany -Dioxin in eggs, pork, poultry - Farms shut , pigs and hens culled

Informative presentation (PDF)

Situation Report of the Federal Government
&
First Conclusions

Dioxin in Feed Fats from Schleswig-Holstein

.

**Pathfinder** · January 17, 2011, 11:06 AM

Re: Germany -Dioxin in eggs, pork, poultry - Farms shut , pigs and hens culled

Date: 14 Jan 2011
From: Dr. Karin Schwabenbauer
The Federal Ministry in charge
<Karin.Schwabenbauer@bmelv.bund.de>

German dioxin incident: state of play and measures (13 Jan 2011)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dioxin belongs to the group of toxic substances which are monitored in the
framework of several coordinated control programs in Germany. Minimization
strategies have led to a significant decrease of dioxin concentrations in
food and feed during the last years. Further information can be found on
<http://www.bvl.bund.de/cln_027/nn_518594/EN/01__Food/05__LM__Monitoring__en/LM__Monitoring__EN__node.html__nnn=true>.

More general information about food and feed safety, including the actual
dioxin incident are available from the Federal Institute for Risk
assessment, <http://www.bfr.bund.de>, the Federal Office for Consumer
Protection and Food Safety, <http://www.bvl.bund.de>, and the Federal
Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, <http://www.bmelv.de>.

Furthermore feed producers in Germany are legally obliged to monitor for
dioxin on their own initiative. This self checking of a compound feed
producer revealed analytical findings of dioxin on 21 Dec 2010; the
competent authority was informed on 22 Dec 2010. The 1st message in the
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) issued on 27 Dec 2010 referred
to one consignment (26 tonnes) of contaminated fatty acids getting mixed
with 500 tonnes of vegetable feed fat.

The authorities started official tracing back and revealed as source
contaminated fat which was originally destined for technical purposes, but
illegally mixed with feed fat in one feed fat producing company in Germany.
By way of precaution, pending the outcome of further dioxin analyses, all
feed fat produced at this feed fat company from 11 Nov 2010 onwards was
considered as being possibly contaminated.

Therefore the authorities started tracing forward and identified all
compound feed producers which have been supplied with the contaminated feed
fat. It is assumed to contain a 2 to 10 per cent share of contaminated fat.
Analysis of compound feed produced with contaminated feed fat indicated a
contamination level of 1.1 to 1.5 ng WHO- PCDD/F-TEQ /kg product. (The EU
maximum level is 0.75 ng/kg product.)

Further detailed tracing forward led the authorities to about 4800
agricultural holdings being listed as possible customers of the potentially
contaminated compound feed. They are located in 5 of the 16 German Laender,
Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia being mainly concerned.
Consequently all these holdings were immediately blocked as a wide-scale
precautionary measure.

The authorities lift the ban only if it is proved that feed or products --
especially eggs and meat -- do not contain higher levels of dioxin than
permitted by EU law. The regulatory actions are based on individual risk
assessments comprising the analysis of reserve samples, of feeding stuffs
and of food as well as on the calculation of the dioxin levels of feed
batches already consumed. By these measures most of the bans could be
lifted in the meantime.

In any case, contaminated food products are withdrawn from the market.
Currently 490 agricultural holdings are still under restriction. They are
not allowed to put their animals and animal products on the market or to
export them. With respect to pork, up to now, critical dioxin levels were
detected on 2 of these holdings. Products (eggs and meat) from contaminated
animals are traced back and destroyed, to make sure that the food chain is
not getting affected.

--
Dr Karin Schwabenbauer
<Karin.Schwabenbauer@bmelv.bund.de>
Chief Veterinary Officer
Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection
Berlin, Germany

[ProMED-mail wishes to thank Dr Schwabenbauer for her official and
authoritative report. - Mod.TG]

[...]

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**Gert van der Hoek** · March 9, 2011, 07:41 AM

Re: Germany -Dioxin in eggs, pork, poultry - Farms shut , pigs and hens culled

March 8, 2011

Brazilian cocoa beans might be causing dioxin contamination in cocoa butter fatty acids

- snip -

A sample of fat, derived directly from Brazilian cocoa beans, contained too high levels of dioxins.

Cocoa beans from South America are known to be dried. In the drying process n
a dioxin contamination can occur.

Therefore, it appears the cause of the dioxin contamination is found in the
imported cocoa beans.

source: VWA