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key dates in chicken a la dioxin
Chronology - key dates/events in
Belgian dioxin scare
BELGIUM: June 8, 1999
BRUSSELS - Here are key dates in the scare over
dioxin poisoning in Belgian chicken meat, pork and
eggs.
JANUARY 18-19, 1999: Dioxin, a toxic chemical that can
cause cancer, pollutes a storage tank of Belgian oils and
fats processing company Verkest, near Ghent.
JANUARY 19-END JANUARY: Animal fat is contaminated
when it ends up in the polluted tank; Verkest sells the fat
for use in animal feed.
MARCH 3-19: A Belgian farm reports "problems" with hens
to its insurance firm, which appoints an official, who also
works for the State Veterinary Service, as an investigator.
He finds indications that processed fat could be the cause.
The farm then notifies the Ministry of Agriculture.
MARCH 24: The Verkest company is investigated.
APRIL 12: Public prosecutors are told of irregularities.
APRIL 21: The investigating vet tells the Farm Ministry he
suspects dioxin contamination is the source of the problem.
APRIL 26: After test results show a high level of dioxin in
animal feed and chicken fat, the ministry orders new
samples to be taken at Verkest and three tanks are seized;
10 buyers of feed with the "Verkest fat" are told to halt
trade; there are further tests on hens and feed, including
some from pig farms.
Contaminated fat is traced to 10 animal feed makers in
Belgium, one in France and one in the Netherlands - and
the French and Dutch authorities are officially informed.
MAY 25: Officials from the Farm and Health Ministries and
industry meet to discuss the issue.
MAY 26: Products of a second feed maker are found to
have high levels of dioxin; the farm and health ministries
place all poultry farms that have bought possibly
contaminated feed under surveillance, halting trade; the
health ministry begins tracing contaminated meat, the farm
ministry traces contaminated eggs.
MAY 27: The situation is explained in a short press
release.
MAY 28: Health Minister Marcel Colla advises retailers to
remove all chicken and eggs from sale; Germany, France
advise consumers not to eat Belgian-produced chicken and
eggs.
MAY 31: European Union Farm Commissioner Franz
Fischler says "precautionary measures" might be needed.
Russia bans imports of all Belgian poultry; Poland
suspends imports of Belgian chickens, chicken meat and
eggs; Portugal withdraws all Belgian chicken products from
the market.
JUNE 1: Belgium bans wholesalers from selling products
containing eggs or chicken until after tests for dioxin; the
EU Commission proposes destroying food made with
Belgian chickens and eggs from farms which used
contaminated feed; Health Minister Colla and Farm Minister
Karel Pinxten resign.
JUNE 2: The EU agrees contaminated eggs and meat must
be destroyed; Lucien Verkest and his son Jan, managers of
the Verkest company, are arrested and charged with
fraudulent accounting and merchandise fraud.
New Health Minister Luc Van den Bossche extends
measures to protect public health to pork, some 500
pig-breeders on top of over 400 poultry farmers may have
used poisonous feed; blacklisted firms must have products
removed from stores.
JUNE 3: Belgium says beef is being tested for dioxin, bans
all transport of poultry, pigs and cattle until Sunday night,
and sets a general ban on slaughtering poultry, pigs and
cattle.
The European Commission orders the destruction of food
from pig and cattle farms which used the suspect feed.
France looks into removing egg-based foods from sale;
Sweden considers stopping imports of poultry or eggs from
Belgium; the U.S. blocks imports of poultry and pork from
the European Union.
JUNE 4: EU adopts official measures to curb sales
throughout EU of Belgian beef, pork and dairy products.
The government says there is no general contamination of
Belgian meat and issues a list of Belgian high-fat products
to be removed from sale.
Belgium extends transport and slaughter ban on cattle, pigs
and poultry to midnight on June 8. A list of Belgian farms
affected by dioxin scare includes some dairy farms.
France quarantines 66 cattle producers in Normany on
fears they may have used contaminated feed.
France bans all Belgian poultry, beef, pork and other animal
meats. The Netherlands bans imports of Belgian livestock,
meat and products. Italy bans Belgian pork and pork
products. Austria bans Belgian meat, poultry, eggs and
milk. Portugal bans import of Belgian cattle, pigs and
poultry and products derived from them. South Korea bans
pork, chicken, eggs and related imports from Belgium.
Cyprus blocks animal feed from Belgium, Holland, Spain
and France and asks importers of Belgian egg-based foods
to withdraw their products.
JUNE 5: Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene suspends
campaigning for Belgium's June 13 national elections to
focus on the crisis.
German ban covers Belgian pork, beef and dairy products.
Switzerland bans Belgian milk, milk products and cheese.
Singapore widens import ban from Europe to cover dairy
products. United Arab Emirates bans import of Belgian
beef, chicken, eggs. Saudi Arabia bans imports of Belgian
chicken meat and eggs.
JUNE 6: Belgium extends ban to cover butter sales.
Egypt bans all EU meat and poultry products. Algeria bans
poultry products from France, the Netherlands and Spain.
JUNE 7: EU veterinary experts hold emergency meeting to
assess measures taken by Belgium.
Costs to Belgium's food industry seen running to at least 20
billion Belgian francs ($510 million).
Bulgaria bans imports of fodder, meat and dairy and poultry
products from Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Cyprus widens ban to Belgian dairy products, pork and
beef. Czech Republic bans many Belgian meat products.
(All dates and events before May 28 come from the
government website at http://belgium.fgov.be)
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
--
Neil TANGRI