Dioxin animal feed scare

Dioxin animal feed scare shuts German farms
Chickens in the western town of Schleiden Hundreds of farms had already been banned from selling eggs
Continue reading the main story
Related stories

* German dioxin worse than feared

More than 4,700 German farms have been closed after large amounts of animal feed were found to be contaminated with dioxin, a poisonous chemical.

Officials insist the levels of dioxin do not pose a risk to humans, and that the closures are only a precaution.

Most of the affected farms are in Lower Saxony region, north-west Germany.

Meanwhile, the EU has warned that eggs from farms affected by dioxin have entered the UK in processed products destined for human food.

Last week, more than 1,000 farms were banned from selling eggs after dioxin was found in eggs and poultry.

Dioxin is linked to the development of cancer in humans.

Dioxin scare