Indonesia bans Belgian food imports over dioxin scare
Indonesia bans Belgian food imports over dioxin scare
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia finally joined other Asian countries
in banning imports of Belgian farm and poultry products to
safeguard health and protect local agriculture from cancer-
causing dioxin.
The Ministry of Health also ordered on Monday all retailers to
remove Belgian food such as milk, eggs, beef, pork, chicken and
animal feeding stuff from shelves.
The ministry said that the ban would not affect food imports
from other European countries. It added, however, imports of farm
and dairy products from the Netherlands, France and Germany
should be accompanied with certificates to ensure that they are
free from cancer-causing dioxin.
The ministry did not mention whether there was a penalty for
violators to the ban.
The food scare over Belgian food products emerged in late May
when Belgium announced high levels of cancer-causing dioxin in
chicken and eggs spread to the country's pork, beef and dairy
products.
The scare led many countries, including the Philippines,
Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia, to
impose blanket-trade bans on European farm and dairy products.
Thailand's government even imposed a jail term up to five
months as punishment or a 200,000 baht (US$5,405) fine to
importers found violating the ban.
The European Union's executive body, European Commission, said
it ordered its 15 member states to ensure that all potentially
dioxin-contaminated products of food or feeding stuff be traced,
removed from the market and destroyed.
Spokesman of the health ministry Mariani told The Jakarta Post
on Monday the ministry ordered its directorate of food and
medicine supervision (POM) nationwide to conduct random research
on samples of imported farm and poultry products available at
local markets.
"So far we have found no record on contaminated products," she
said.
The directorate of animal husbandry said earlier that
Indonesia's imports of Belgian meat were not significant.
"The health ministry, however, decided to proceed with its
temporary ban to make sure that every party acts in caution
toward the issue," Mariani said.
Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics shows Indonesia
imported 1,121 kilograms of Belgian meat, edible meat offal and
prepared or preserved meat in 1997.
Indonesia also imported 2,003 tons of milk, cream, milk
products, butter, eggs and fresh egg yolks from Belgium last
year.
Indonesia obtains most of its imported meat products from
Australia and New Zealand. The country imported 16,000 tons of
beef last year, over 80 percent of which was from Australia.
(cst)
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia finally joined other Asian countries
in banning imports of Belgian farm and poultry products to
safeguard health and protect local agriculture from cancer-
causing dioxin.
The Ministry of Health also ordered on Monday all retailers to
remove Belgian food such as milk, eggs, beef, pork, chicken and
animal feeding stuff from shelves.
The ministry said that the ban would not affect food imports
from other European countries. It added, however, imports of farm
and dairy products from the Netherlands, France and Germany
should be accompanied with certificates to ensure that they are
free from cancer-causing dioxin.
The ministry did not mention whether there was a penalty for
violators to the ban.
The food scare over Belgian food products emerged in late May
when Belgium announced high levels of cancer-causing dioxin in
chicken and eggs spread to the country's pork, beef and dairy
products.
The scare led many countries, including the Philippines,
Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia, to
impose blanket-trade bans on European farm and dairy products.
Thailand's government even imposed a jail term up to five
months as punishment or a 200,000 baht (US$5,405) fine to
importers found violating the ban.
The European Union's executive body, European Commission, said
it ordered its 15 member states to ensure that all potentially
dioxin-contaminated products of food or feeding stuff be traced,
removed from the market and destroyed.
Spokesman of the health ministry Mariani told The Jakarta Post
on Monday the ministry ordered its directorate of food and
medicine supervision (POM) nationwide to conduct random research
on samples of imported farm and poultry products available at
local markets.
"So far we have found no record on contaminated products," she
said.
The directorate of animal husbandry said earlier that
Indonesia's imports of Belgian meat were not significant.
"The health ministry, however, decided to proceed with its
temporary ban to make sure that every party acts in caution
toward the issue," Mariani said.
Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics shows Indonesia
imported 1,121 kilograms of Belgian meat, edible meat offal and
prepared or preserved meat in 1997.
Indonesia also imported 2,003 tons of milk, cream, milk
products, butter, eggs and fresh egg yolks from Belgium last
year.
Indonesia obtains most of its imported meat products from
Australia and New Zealand. The country imported 16,000 tons of
beef last year, over 80 percent of which was from Australia.
(cst)