According to Germany authorities they received word via the European Union�s rapid-warning system that the farms may have received dioxin-contaminated feed from Belgium.
The contamination was first discovered by the Dutch food authority, VWA, in a Belgium animal feed shipment to a Dutch company. The Belgium food safety agency said the dioxin came from the use of an unfiltered ingredient to extract pig fat from the process of making gelatine at a Belgian chemical company.
Since the discovery Dutch authorities have quarantined 250 farms, mostly pig farms and have slaughtered 80 pigs from the worst-hit farms to test the meat for dioxin contamination.
The Belgian authorities have quarantined about 400 of its pig and chicken farms.
As a result of the contamination South Korea have imposed bans and recently Japan imposed a ban on Dutch pork.
Dioxins are one of a number of toxic chemicals that originate in pesticides or industrial processes. They accumulate in the body and have been linked to cancer, birth defects and organ failure.
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