Over 4700 farms were shut in Germany after results of tests showed animal feed contained dioxin, a cancer-causing chemical, national media said.
"4709 farms and businesses are currently closed," including 4468 in the state of Lower Saxony, northwest Germany, German Agriculture Ministry said in a statement cited by world media today.
Up to 3,000 tones of contaminated feed were sent to poultry and pig farms, German authorities reported earlier this week. Eggs from some of these farms were later exported to The Netherlands for processing.
Media said that the 14 tones of pasteurized liquid egg product had entered Britain. Currently British officials are trying to determine where it is contaminated by dioxin.
Mostly affected by closings were pig farms in Lower Saxony region. All farms are expected to be closed until they are clear of contamination by dioxin.
MOSCOW, January 7 (RIA Novosti)
