Category: News
Date: 14.06.2006
Printable version
BBC TWO's Newsnight has obtained a leaked report from Europe's Food Safety Authority on
the level of salmonella contamination in commercial poultry units across Europe.
It shows that while British farms are doing well with only eight per cent showing
contamination with the most dangerous strain of salmonella, other countries have
far higher levels.
In this, the first survey of its kind, the Czech Republic, Poland and Spain are
revealed to have the highest level of contamination (Czech Republic 62%, Poland
55%, Spain 51%).
Although 85 per cent of the eggs we eat in Britain are produced here, the remainder are
imported from Europe according to industry body the British Egg Industry Council.
Of those imported an informed estimate is that the vast majority come
from Spain.
The British Egg Industry Council says that unless standards are improved some EU
countries should be banned from exporting eggs to this country.
KR
