Contrary to the first declarations of the Ministry of Agriculture, France did import eggs contaminated with fipronil. Two establishments are under surveillance.
The contaminated eggs crossed the border. While the Minister of Agriculture indicated a few days ago that France was not concerned by the food scandal affecting the Netherlands and several European countries, the French authorities have gone back on their first declaration of optimism. According to a press release from the ministry, 13 batches of eggs contaminated with the pesticide were sent to France.
These batches were delivered to two establishments manufacturing egg products in Vienne and Maine-et-Loire between July 11 and 26, 2017, specifies the ministry, which cannot specify at this stage whether these products have ended up in commerce and how much pesticide they contain.
Ongoing investigations
“Investigations are being carried out in these establishments by the control services of the Ministry of Agriculture to assess the situation (the products concerned and their destination) and block the incriminated products for analysis,” the statement said.
On July 28, a breeding in Pas-de-Calais was placed under surveillance immediately after the breeder reported the use of this product by his Belgian supplier. “No eggs from this breeding have been placed on the market, the results of the analyzes in progress will be known at the end of the week”, explains the ministry.
Risk assessment
The authorities state that “the presence of traces of fipronil does not in itself constitute a risk; only the analyzes undertaken will make it possible to determine whether the level of contamination of these products is likely to present a risk for consumption ”.
In the Netherlands, the Food Safety Agency (NVWA), however, explained that certain batches of eggs had a fipronil level “so high that their consumption represents a serious danger to public health”.
The European Food Safety Agency (Efsa) was called upon to assess the risks. In addition, France announced that it had contacted ANSES to obtain an opinion on the risks to human health linked to the ingestion of eggs, or products contaminated by fipronil.
Fipronil is a chemical used in veterinary products. It is found in particular in anti-flea products for dogs and cats, but its use for the treatment of animals intended for the food chain, such as chickens, is strictly prohibited. It should never have been used on these poultry.
Hundreds of thousands of chickens slaughtered
More than 60 farms in Belgium and 180 in the Netherlands have been blocked due to the suspected presence of fipronil. Hundreds of thousands of hens had to be slaughtered in the Netherlands. In Belgium, a judicial investigation is underway for fraud on the part of the supplier of the insecticide product used. He may have knowingly added fipronil to his base product to increase its effectiveness.
At the same time, the Belgian and Dutch authorities are carrying out investigations to trace the marketing channels for contaminated batches. To date, several European countries are concerned: Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and most recently France.
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