Dioxin eggs also in Lower Saxony

Two farms in Lower Saxony blocked due to increased dioxin levels

04/13/2012

After a large farm and two small chicken farms had to be closed in North Rhine-Westphalia due to increased exposure to dioxins, two farms in Lower Saxony were shut down until further notice. So far it is unclear whether contaminated chicken eggs have already reached the supermarkets. The Ministry of Agriculture in Hanover has announced that it will examine more regional producers and carry out inspections. A speaker of the Ministry emphasized that a direct connection between the finds in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony is currently not possible to produce. As in North Rhine-Westphalia, the source of the source of the pollution is still completely unclear. As a result, the opposition criticizes the inadequate implementation of legislation that could make early detection of contaminated eggs possible.

Two farms in the district Aurich locked
The finds were made by authorities in two now closed companies in the district of Aurich, whose chickens can move in the field. Regulators took samples from the soil, water and feed. Oxygen samples have also been taken to check for possible environmental pollution in the air. In contrast to the NRW egg producers, these are not organic farms, but conventionally operated farms. It is noticeable, however, that both farms use the same feed supplier. For this reason samples of the feed were also taken from the feed producer. According to authorities, the investigations are ongoing „in terms of causes at full speed.“ Although it is not known if contaminated eggs have entered the market, the Ministry of Agriculture concludes „immediate health hazard to consumers“. Rather, one assumes it, „that a large part of the eggs have already been taken from the store shelves.“

Dioxin exposure determined by self-control
The elevated values ​​were determined this time not by a routine check, but by a commissioned laboratory in Schleswig-Holstein. The laboratory technicians had examined the eggs on behalf of the companies, which are required by law to take random samples. The legislation was created from the experience of the last major dioxin egg scandal a good year ago. As a result, the private laboratories were obliged to inform not only the farms but also the authorities immediately if the values ​​were elevated. With this regulation, the laboratories were also brought to the responsibility next to the farms. However, compulsory self-regulation is only carried out every two to three months, which is why it can not be clearly proven today whether contaminated eggs have not yet landed on the supermarket shelves. „It is not clear from when the load took place“ say consumer advocates.

Therefore also criticized the agricultural policy spokeswoman for the left, Marianne König, the insufficient intervals of self-checks. The new dioxin findings have shown that „Self-inspections of farms are not enough to effectively protect the population in the long run.“ The Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture is in this case no „To reproach failure“, however, the dioxin eggs could have been detected faster if it „more frequent checks by the state“ would give. Christian Meyer of Alliance 90 / The Greens criticized that the announced measures after the last dioxin scandal yet „are fully implemented“.

Dioxin can have health consequences
Dioxin is a collective term for toxic substances that each have similar chemical compounds. These are usually produced as by-products in the production of organic chlorine chemicals or in waste incineration. The pollutants are considered to be very durable, because they are hardly broken down by natural means. To date, 75 different types of dioxins and 135 dioxin related substances are known, which can lead to serious health problems. Exposing the human body to higher doses over a longer period of time may cause nervous disorders, immune system disorders and hormonal imbalance. In addition, some research indicates that dioxin is carcinogenic. The substances build up in the fatty tissue of the body and have a high half-life. If there is an acute poisoning, the affected person can not be rescued even by means of a blood wash, because this can cause only a minimal reduction. Therefore, should „Consumers take the warnings of the authorities very seriously“ and potentially contaminated food is no longer consume but carry in the household waste. However, it is not yet known how high the new finds were.

Recently, dioxin-contaminated eggs were found in a North Rhine-Westphalian large company and in two small producers in Duisburg. Hundreds of thousands of eggs have been destroyed since Wednesday. The cause in NRW and in Lower Saxony is still completely unclear. The investigations are still ongoing in NRW. (Sb)

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Picture: Siepmann H.