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 January 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.
Prosecutors in Germany are investigating the cause of the contamination and specifically whether animal feed additive company Harles and Jentzsch distributed fatty acids meant for industrial paper production to animal feed processors.
EU officials said on Monday some tainted animal feed had been exported to France and Denmark. South Korea has restricted imports from Germany because of the affair, and Russia has said it may also take action.
On Tuesday German officials are due to brief their EU counterparts in Brussels on the latest developments and are likely to face questions on the root cause of the incident and their response to it. A German parliament committee is also due to discuss tougher safety controls on the animal feed industry.
Dioxins are formed by burning waste and through other industrial processes and have been shown to contribute to increased cancer rates and affect pregnant women. — Reuters