Dioxin scandal: Fat supplier files for bankrupcy

Harles & Jentzsch from Uetersen in Schleswig-Holstein on Wednesday afternoon at the District Court of Pinneberg submitted an application for insolvency. As a provisional liquidator, the court had appointed a lawyer from Hamburg.

 

The company is suspected of having marketed dioxin-contaminated industrial fats as feed fats and thus caused the recent dioxin scandal where thousands of farms are involved that have received contaminated feeds.

 

Last week already the GMP⁺ accreditation of the company was withdrawn. Sources said Harles & Jentzsch had GMP⁺ certification for its major processing unit, but the contaminated fats were processed at a different location which was not audited.

 

The People’s Republic of China has halted the imports of eggs and pork from China from fear of containing too much dioxin, press agency AFP reports.

 

The border has been closed even for products in which traces of German pork or eggs have been processed. This was made public by the Chinese watchdog for food safety.

 

The ban has been put in place by January 11. Ships that have left Germany for China, loaded with potentially contaminated products, will not be sent back but will have to be tested for dioxin

 

It is unclear how many German companies will be affected by the measure. In 2010, approximately 1% of all German meat exports went to China.

 

South Korea also temporarily blocked German pork. Slovakia announced to block eggs and poultry meat from Germany for a while.