Elevated dioxin levels have been discovered in pork for the first time since a scare broke out in Germany last week, officials said Tuesday, DPA reported.
Previously, the dioxin had only been detected in eggs on 10 farms. Thousands of other farms have been cleared after checks.
Lower Saxony state agriculture ministry said it found illegal levels of the substance, which can cause reproductive disorders,
immune disorders and acne, in a pig farm near the town of Verden.
One animal had been slaughtered for testing purposes and found to be over the limit. Hundreds of pigs on the farm were then culled.
Last week South Korea banned the import of German sausage and poultry products after hearing about the scare.
Gert Hahne, agriculture spokesman, said 330 pig, turkey and chicken farms in the state were still banned from shipping produce while tests continued.
Traces of dioxin are common in farm produce. The elevated dioxin came from recycled fat produced by a company near Hamburg. It sold the fat to makers of ready made farm feed who mixed it with grain and other food supplements.
German officials say the dioxin levels pose no risk to humans if they only eat small amounts of the tainted food, but add that the contamination must be stamped out to avert serious long-term risks.
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