The European Commission (EC) decided to convene on September 26 unscheduled meeting with representatives of all concerned countries, because of the scandal with eggs contaminated with fipronil. They were found in 15 countries in the EU and beyond. On Friday, August 11, said the EC representative Mina Andreeva, reports TASS.
“In four countries — the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France blocked a poultry farm that used this substance. The products of these farms have already received Sweden, UK, Ireland, Austria, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, Switzerland and Hong Kong,” she explained.
Currently it is impossible to convene a meeting because the commissioners are on vacation, do not work more than one third of the EC personnel on duty.
On 10 August in the Netherlands have detained two people suspected of involvement in illegal use of insecticides on poultry farms.
Fipronil banned for use on farms with animals and birds intended for human consumption. According to toxicologist Alfred Bernard, the substance causes dizziness and vomiting. “This is a temporary neurotoxic effect, fatal cases are extremely rare, about one case in 30 years. For that fipronil should be taken in huge doses, about half a gram. In the eggs it contains in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of times less,” — said the expert.
As indicated by Euronews, for consumers, the danger is gone, but farmers are waiting for the mass slaughter of birds and long test, after which it will be possible to resume production.