Belgium's dioxin-contaminated feed and Germany's chickens fed engine oil: the EU struggles to close food safety loopholes

General News Jan 1, 1970By Emily Carter 0 views

In 1999, because the government did not promptly disclose that feed had been contaminated with dioxin, Belgium was in turmoil, with no festive mood for welcoming the new millennium.

In 1999, dioxin-contaminated feed in Belgium hit chickens, pigs and cattle

In January 1999, Belgium's Ministry of Agriculture already knew that feed had been contaminated with dioxin, and the most sensitive livestock, laying hens, were the first to show abnormalities. But fearing the impact on agricultural exports, the ministry did not reveal the information until the end of May, which not only shattered Belgian consumer confidence but also enraged neighboring EU countries with open markets.

As a result, about 2,500 Belgian chicken and pig farms were affected. Because the government could not provide the distribution of the contaminated feed, farms in Germany, France and the Netherlands also feared being dragged in. After chicken and eggs, the European Commission required a suspension of sales of Belgian beef, pork, cheese and milk.

A subsequent investigation showed that the culprit was dioxin-containing engine oil mixed into 500 metric tons of feed. Ten years later, the father and son of the Verkests family were finally convicted in 2009. The judge determined that when they operated their edible waste oil reprocessing business, they already knew the oil was contaminated with dioxin but used forged documents to cover up the facts.

**Dioxin contamination risks exist in both feed production and transport**

The "poison of the century" reaching the dinner tables of Belgium, Ireland and Germany all involved human fraud. However, earlier France and the United States had also experienced dioxin contamination when ash from incinerators drifted into livestock farms or pastures.

Around the 1930s, after technology for combining chlorine with hydrocarbons during oil refining was introduced, it became widely welcomed by the pesticide, plastics and chemical industries, and the byproduct dioxin spread widely in the environment along with it. However, EU research points out that 90% of the dioxin in the human body is ingested through food, and because it is fat-soluble, 80% comes through meat products. Therefore, to reduce the threat of dioxin, action must start with meat production management, and feed is the key link.

Unlike the agricultural era when cattle ate grass, chickens ate insects and big fish ate small fish, modern livestock farming relies not only on feed such as corn and soybeans but also on additives, and the production process has become highly industrialized. Factory farms also embody the spirit of the "circular economy" by putting feather meal produced from slaughter back into feed. The outbreak of mad cow disease occurred because the remaining parts of cattle were fed to cattle.

Italy's Coldiretti points out that both feed production and transport can cause dioxin contamination. Although the temperature during feed production is about 200 degrees Celsius, making the likelihood of dioxin formation low, the solvents, catalysts and materials used to adjust acidity and alkalinity in the process may all be sources of contamination.

In addition, petroleum, coal or wood used during heating may also produce dioxin. Contamination may also occur during harvesting, transport and storage.

In 2014, Italy detected dioxin in a batch of corn from Ukraine, which was very likely contaminated during harvesting or transport.

In the German case of chickens fed engine oil, edible waste oil may also have been contaminated with dioxin on the way to a reprocessing plant in the Netherlands. An operator familiar with grease collection and transport pointed out, "The storage tanks of these vessels are not necessarily cleaned after every delivery."

**The poultry industry has a sound traceability system, but it cannot stop the poison of the century**

Coldiretti says the main sources of dioxin in EU feed include: ingredients from aquatic products or fish oil, animal fats, and fibers contaminated by soil and air. Because the dioxin toxic equivalent (TEQ) of European aquatic products is relatively high, special attention should be paid to related extracts in feed.

Italy's Legambiente warns that, to prevent avian influenza, the poultry industry is already the most strictly managed livestock sector in the EU. Chicken must be labeled with the locations of raising, slaughter and packaging, and eggs must also be labeled with the feeding method, production location and egg farm. However, none of these measures can curb the threat of dioxin.

Belgium's dioxin incident rang the alarm. British epidemiologist A. McMichael warned at the time: "As food manufacturing technology improves, trade networks extend, people move frequently, and dietary and consumption preferences change, de-marketization forces are distorting public health. The increasingly common food safety problems are also an opportunity for governments to again prioritize public health and guide food safety management."

**Nearly twenty years have passed, and although policies in various places have improved somewhat, dioxin is still on the dinner table.**

How does ash dioxin contaminate eggs? Experts judge: feed contains impure raw materials or the chicken farm environment is contaminated

Dioxin detected in eggs; tetrachlorofuran concentration 10 times higher than in the past; source suspected to be "ash" from waste incineration

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Belgium's dioxin-contaminated feed and Germany's chickens fed engine oil: the EU struggles to close food safety loopholes

In 1999, dioxin-contaminated feed in Belgium hit chickens, pigs and cattle

Dioxin contamination risks exist in both feed production and transport

The poultry industry has a sound traceability system, but it cannot stop the poison of the century

How does ash dioxin contaminate eggs? Experts judge: feed contains impure raw materials or the chicken farm environment is contaminated

Dioxin detected in eggs; tetrachlorofuran concentration 10 times higher than in the past; source suspected to be "ash" from waste incineration

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