European eggs sold in Britain in contamination scare after pesticide found on them
A 'very small number of eggs' from European farms found to have distributed eggs containing Fipronil have been sold in the UK, the Food Standards Agency said
EGGS at the centre of a European contamination scandal have been sold in Britain, it was revealed today.
A "very small number of eggs" from farms that have released stock contaminated with toxic pesticide Fipronil have made their way to the UK.
Food Standards Agency has said the risk to public health "is very low".
A statement from FSA said: "Following concerns raised in the Netherlands about a substance called Fipronil which has been used inappropriately in cleaning products on chicken farms, we have identified that a very small number of eggs have been distributed to the UK from the farms affected.
"Fipronil is not authorised for use as a veterinary medicine or pesticide around food producing animals."
It comes after Aldi and Lidl pulled all Dutch eggs from its shelves in Germany last week as the scandal spread through Europe.
Supermarket giant Aldi said it was a "purely precautionary" measure and added that eggs sold in its UK stores were produced in Britain.
Millions of eggs have been removed from shelves across the continent over fears they could be deadly.
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About 180 Dutch farms have been temporarily shut down and a criminal investigation has been launched.
A European commission spokeswoman, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, told reporters in Brussels: “The eggs are blocked. The contaminated eggs have been traced and withdrawn from the market and the situation is under control.”
The scare started in the Netherlands and Belgium and it is thought that Dutch disinfectant is at fault.
Dozens of farms are being checked in the Netherlands, while Belgium's food safety agency is probing how Fipronil might have entered eggs destined for supermarkets.
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