The Local Germany

Animal protection means higher food prices, minister says

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:49:00 +0100

While the recent dioxin scandal in Germany has many calling for new agriculture and livestock practices, German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner has said better animal protection will result in higher food prices.

Group urges Germans to become 'part-time vegetarians'

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:01:00 +0100

Germany’s vegetarian society (VEBU) proposed on Thursday that people pair up to become “part-time vegetarians” as the country recovers from the dioxin food safety scandal.

Pork farmers could get EU help on dioxin scare

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 09:27:00 +0100

EU Agriculture Commissioner Bacian Ciolos said Saturday that Brussels was ready to step in to aid pork farmers hit by a slump in prices sparked by a German contamination scare.

Thousands protest industrial agriculture during Green Week

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 15:41:00 +0100

With about 80 tractors leading the way through central Berlin, thousands of people gathered Saturday to protest factory farming and GM technology, a day after the Green Week food and farming trade fair opened in the German capital.

In praise of the Sunday roast

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:28:00 +0100

Germans like meat. But if the whole world ate like them, we'd need at least two planets to feed everyone. A proper Sunday roast free of toxic feed could be the answer, says Dagmar Dehmer from Der Tagesspiegel.

Aigner calls for state support at dioxin summit

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:06:00 +0100

Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner on Tuesday urged state officials to implement a federal action plan that aims to prevent future food contamination ahead of special government summit on the dioxin animal feed scandal.

Merkel referees dioxin scandal bickering

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 09:27:00 +0100

As Germany tries to cope with the dioxin animal feed scandal, Chancellor Angela Merkel has stepped in to settle bickering over the issue between Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner and Lower Saxony premier David McAllister.

Another 1,000 farms closed for dioxin

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:03:00 +0100

Nearly another 1,000 German farms have been closed as the scope of the dioxin animal feed scandal continues to widen, the government confirmed on Saturday.

Farmers call for action amid €100 mln losses

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:19:00 +0100

German farmers reckon the dioxin contamination scandal is going to cost them around €100 million from reduced consumption and lower prices on eggs and pork.

Aigner to crack down on animal feed production

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:49:00 +0100

Under fire for her response to Germany’s widening dioxin food safety scandal, Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner on Friday said she will implement tougher animal feed regulations.

China bans pork, eggs as dioxin scandal grows

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:14:00 +0100

Germany's dioxin contamination problems deepened Wednesday as China banned pork and egg imports and it emerged that tainted meat may be in circulation.

Organic food demand soars amid dioxin scare

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:47:00 +0100

As the dioxin scare continues in Germany, consumers are storming organic supermarkets, clearing the shelves of eggs and pork products. But experts say the country’s organic food sector is unlikely to keep up with the new demand.

High levels of dioxin found in German pork

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:36:00 +0100

German authorities Tuesday ordered the slaughter of hundreds of pigs after finding high levels of dioxin in pork for the first time since shutting down thousands of farms for tests last week.

Dioxin-scanning egg app cracks the market

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:24:00 +0100

As Germany grapples with a food scandal that has forced thousands of farms to halt sales, one technology firm has come up with an enterprising way to pick out the bad eggs at the supermarket.

Farms given all-clear in dioxin scare

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:00:00 +0100

About 3,000 German farms have been given the all-clear to reopen following the dioxin contamination scandal, but not all of Germany's states have managed to publish lists of affected eggs.

Government to crack down after dioxin scandal

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 13:42:00 +0100

The German government vowed Sunday to get tough after a dioxin poisoning scare led to import bans on some of its farm products, as a survey showed one in five consumers in Germany avoiding eggs.

Global concern about dioxin meat grows

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:30:00 +0100

Global fears mounted on Saturday over the safety of German meat due to contaminated animal feed, with South Korea banning pork imports and Slovakia suspending poultry sales, even as the EU declared no need for a ban.

Dioxin contamination 77 times safe level

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:52:00 +0100

Samples taken from the animal feed firm at the centre of the dioxin contamination scandal revealed its products contained up to 77 times the safe level of the toxic chemical, authorities said Friday.

Dioxin farm scandal spreads to UK

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:08:00 +0100

Germany's dioxin animal feed scandal has spread to Britain, where authorities are hunting for processed food made from tainted eggs, the European Commission said Thursday.

Dioxin scandal spreads

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:56:00 +0100

Some 3,000 tonnes of dioxin-contaminated fatty acids used to enrich animal feed have been distributed in at least four German states, according to official estimates. As the scandal continues to spread, the authorities are shutting down more farms as a precaution.