Call for tough sanctions over German dioxin scandal

The German government has called for tough punishments for those responsible for contaminating animal feed with a toxic chemical.

Tests found high levels of dioxin, which can cause cancer.

The agriculture minister Ilse Aigner condemned what she called the “sick scheming of a few people” and said the judiciary must “clamp down hard”.

The majority of farms that were closed earlier as a precaution have now been given a clean bill of health. Sales from more than four and a half thousand farms had been banned.

Prosecutors have already said they may bring criminal charges against a firm in northern Germany whose plant produces fats for use in animal feed.

The scare began when it was revealed that some eggs had been contaminated. Excessive levels of dioxin were also found in poultry, although officials said the meat was not sold and the hens were killed.

Demand for eggs is said to have fallen, however. Farmers’ organisations have called for compensation for those whose sales were banned. But the minister said it would be wrong to start a race for claims.

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