990862 Belgium Claims Dioxin Showing Up In ImportsAugust 28, 1999Brussels - The European Commission said it had asked for further information from Belgium following comments from the country's agriculture minister that imported meat had shown signs of dioxin contamination. Belgium is required by European Union law to test its own meat products for high levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), chemicals which indicate the presence of cancer-causing dioxins, in the wake of the health scare over contaminated animal feed. Belgium's Agriculture Minister Jaak Gabriels told journalists that tests had revealed high PCB levels in some imported meat, although he declined to specify their origin. According to media reports the meat came from the Netherlands and Denmark. Commission spokesman Thierry Daman said it was Belgium's duty to inform the EU executive and the relevant member states of any potential food safety problem. “If there are results of tests concerning non-Belgian products, then we want to know about them,” he said. “We have decided that the Commission will be writing to the ministers of health and agriculture in Belgium, asking for further information.” The EU has already begun legal action against Belgium for failing to notify the Commission and member states soon enough of the initial dioxin contamination earlier this year. European veterinary experts decided to maintain the requirement for Belgium to test its meat, including beef, saying the controls would be reviewed before end-September. The vets have set a PCB ceiling of 200 nanogrammes per gramme of fat, although this only applies to Belgian goods, and has not yet been adopted as an EU-wide standard. Dioxins entered the food chain in Belgium from tainted animal feed, believed to have been contaminated with motor oil. The food scare escalated in May into Europe's worst health alert since mad cow disease and triggered temporary bans on some Belgian and EU goods around the world.
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