China imposed a temporary ban yesterday on pork imports from
Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands over a dioxin scare.
According to the General Administration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine, pork already shipped from these
countries to China before January 24 must undergo a dioxin test on
arrival.
The administration also indicated that the ban would cover
animal-based feed imports from the three countries, and it would
strengthen the inspection and quarantine on imported
vegetable-based feed.
Belgium's food safety bureau said this week that faulty filters
at a local chemical plant caused abnormal levels of dioxin to
contaminate animal feed.
Germany and the Netherlands reported the contamination of
excessive dioxin in their pork products at the beginning of
February.
The discovery of the dioxin contamination was first reported by
the Netherlands, which sent out an EU-wide alert January 25?on
pig fat originating from Belgium. The Netherlands said its tests
indicated dioxin levels 25 times the maximum permitted
concentrations in pork fat.
Dioxin is a by-product of the burning, molding or manufacture of
organic chemicals and plastics that contain chlorine. Highly toxic,
its toxicity is second only to radioactive waste.
Dioxin is known to damage the immune system and interfere with
hormonal systems.
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn February 9, 2006)