February 3, 2006

Japan halts imports of Dutch pork

Japan has imposed a ban on pork imports from the Netherlands due to concerns over possible dioxin contamination in its farms, Dutch Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman said Wednesday.

Veerman has ordered a suspension of over 200 farm businesses linked to the scare over high levels of dioxin in animal feed that could have been fed to pigs.  Veerman had rejected Japan's request for the names of these businesses while the Japanese said they were not satisfied with the country's assurances. 

Japan's ban follows South Korea's ban last week but both are not major markets for Dutch pork. The two countries collectively account for 3 percent of pork exports from the Netherlands.