Police raid animal feeds producer Harles and Jentsch at its plant in Uetersen, Germany.
Germany is promising to take tough actions after the dioxin scare that has led to bans on German products in several countries.
Even though 3,000 farms out of 4,700 have been re-opened the German government promises to take tough legal action against those responsible for the dioxin poisoning.
Ilse Aigner, (photo below) Germany's agriculture minister, said that the case needs to be thoroughly investigated. (that's a good idea, where have you been?)
"This is a big blow for our farmers. They have totally innocently been dragged into this situation by the sick machinations of a few people," she said.
"From the information we have so far, it is tough to shake off the suspicion that criminal energy has been combined with alarming unscrupulousness," she added. "The judiciary has to clamp down hard."
Meanwhile, Danish investigators are saying that there is a possibility that contaminated animal feed from Germany may have been fed to hens in Denmark.
The feed, contaminated with dioxin, was purchased by a Danish firm late last year, and brought into the country, said Kim Vandrup Sigsgaard with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.
"There is an ongoing investigation to see if the contaminated feed was consumed by breeder hens, which are not meant for consumption," he said.
Such hens are bred for their eggs, and not sold for their meat, he said.
Last week, Germany filed criminal charges against the company at the heart of the country's tainted egg scandal.
The company, Harles and Jentzsch, apparently knew for months that fatty acid it was delivering to animal-feed makers was contaminated with dioxin, said Christian Seifert, a spokesman for the agricultural ministry in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein said.
Criminal charges have been filed against the company, Seifert said, "because they did not immediately inform" the agricultural ministry that dioxin levels surpassed the allowed amount.
We want to know who's keeping an eye on this industry?
Authorities allege that the company sold about 3,000 tons of contaminated fatty acids to dozens of companies making animal feed across Germany. In response, the government quarantined more than 4,700 pig and poultry farms.
Harles and Jentzsch laboratory tests from March 2010 showed they exceeded the ceiling level for dioxin, he said.
"At that point they had to stop delivering this product and immediately inform the authorities. They did not do either," Seifert said.
Government officials learned of the higher concentrations of dioxin in December, he said.
Several attempts to reach Harles and Jentzsch (above photo) last week for comment were unsuccessful.
Dioxin levels in the final feed product were diluted and likely did not exceed allowed amounts, Seifert said.
"Of course that is no excuse. The conduct is still wrong," he said.
The farms shut down include not only chicken and other poultry, but also pig farms, said Pierre Vetter, a spokesman for Germany's Ministry for Agriculture and Consumer Protection.
State authorities quarantined all farms that received animal feed from companies affected, regardless of whether there is proof that the feed was contaminated, the ministry's website said.
Meanwhile, Danish investigators are saying that there is a possibility that contaminated animal feed from Germany may have been fed to hens in Denmark.
The feed, contaminated with dioxin, was purchased by a Danish firm late last year, and brought into the country, said Kim Vandrup Sigsgaard with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.
"There is an ongoing investigation to see if the contaminated feed was consumed by breeder hens, which are not meant for consumption," he said.
Such hens are bred for their eggs, and not sold for their meat, he said.
Last week, Germany filed criminal charges against the company at the heart of the country's tainted egg scandal.
The company, Harles and Jentzsch, apparently knew for months that fatty acid it was delivering to animal-feed makers was contaminated with dioxin, said Christian Seifert, a spokesman for the agricultural ministry in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein said.
Criminal charges have been filed against the company, Seifert said, "because they did not immediately inform" the agricultural ministry that dioxin levels surpassed the allowed amount.
We want to know who's keeping an eye on this industry?
Authorities allege that the company sold about 3,000 tons of contaminated fatty acids to dozens of companies making animal feed across Germany. In response, the government quarantined more than 4,700 pig and poultry farms.
Harles and Jentzsch laboratory tests from March 2010 showed they exceeded the ceiling level for dioxin, he said.
"At that point they had to stop delivering this product and immediately inform the authorities. They did not do either," Seifert said.
Government officials learned of the higher concentrations of dioxin in December, he said.
Several attempts to reach Harles and Jentzsch (above photo) last week for comment were unsuccessful.
Dioxin levels in the final feed product were diluted and likely did not exceed allowed amounts, Seifert said.
"Of course that is no excuse. The conduct is still wrong," he said.
The farms shut down include not only chicken and other poultry, but also pig farms, said Pierre Vetter, a spokesman for Germany's Ministry for Agriculture and Consumer Protection.
State authorities quarantined all farms that received animal feed from companies affected, regardless of whether there is proof that the feed was contaminated, the ministry's website said.
