“The first egg contaminated with fipronil in Belgium was already confirmed in mid-May by a private company, declared Belgian politician Bart Staes. Staes, who is member of the European parliament for Flanders, says that it took Belgium a month and a half to warn its neighbours.
Begium’s agency for food chain safety (Afsca), was notified by the early confirmations of fipronil contaminations by the private company in mid-May, according to Mr Staes. “The Belgian authorities actually waited over a month and a half to notify their neighbouring countries.”
The Belgian MEP strongly criticizes “the slow reaction” of the Belgian authorities. “A month and a half seems to be a bit too long to reflect. They should have acted quicker”, he believes. “The slow Belgian reaction has sparked a certain panic within the other member states.”
Afsca has not commented on these revelations.
The Brussels Times
