Several European countries face a growing scare over millions of eggs that have been contaminated with the insecticide fipronil, which is potentially harmful to humans. The contamination originated from a plant in the Netherlands, which exported eggs in 15 other EU countries.

The European commission lamented that some countries, like Belgium, officially notified the EU’s food safety alert system only at the end of July, while they knew about the contamination since early June. Dutch authorities have temporarily closed 138 poultry farms and may cull millions of chickens. Belgium has blocked products from 57 egg producers and several supermarkets have withdrawn affected eggs. German authorities blocked the distribution of thousands of eggs while supermarket chain Aldi pulled all Dutch eggs from its German stores.

The EU Agriculture ministers will meet on 26 September to assess the situation and the possible flaws in the crisis management coordination.

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic