German supermarket chain removes eggs from shelves amid pesticide scare

Dutch food safety watchdog NVWA published a list this week of the serial numbers of eggs that were deemed unsafe, with one specific range of eggs labeled as an acute health hazard because of possible contamination with the insecticide fipronil.

A major supermarket chain said Friday it is removing all eggs from sale in its German stores amid a scare over possible pesticide contamination that Dutch producers fear will cost them millions of euros in lost income.

The Dutch government's health institute, citing the World Health Organization and European food safety authority, says that in the few known cases of Fipronil poisoning in humans - mostly deliberate overdoses - the insecticide can lead to nausea, vomiting, dizziness and epileptic fits.

"Somebody must have had criminal intentions when they contaminated eggs with a banned product", he said.

The Netherlands exports some 5 billion eggs to neighboring Germany each year, said Hennie de Haan, chairwoman of the Dutch union of poultry farmers.

German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt pressed the authorities, particularly in Belgium and The Netherlands, to clear up the situation.

Dutch officials closed down 180 businesses earlier in the week.

Eggs from another 59 farms contained high enough levels of the insecticide for the food authority to warn against any children eating them.

The European Commission said it had been made aware of the egg issue, and spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen told reporters developments were being monitored "very closely".

Fipronil is an insecticide used to combat insects such as fleas, lice, ticks, cockroaches and mites.

On July 22, the substance was also detected in farms in the Netherlands. It is not permitted for use on food-producing animals (livestock).

AFP contacted the prosecutor in Antwerp handling the case but failed to get details on whether any specific orders had been issued by the investigating judge to hide information about the contaminated eggs.

Tests have found fipronil in some eggs but not in quantities that pose a threat to human health.

Belgian supermarkets have removed eggs from the supermarkets while awaiting the results of tests.

In large quantities, the insecticide is considered to be "moderately hazardous", according to the World Health Organization, and can have unsafe effects on humans' kidneys, liver, and thyroid glands.