Two Asian and two European countries, and the Chinese territory of Hong Kong have banned imports of pork and poultry products from Europe over fear that they may be contaminated with cancer-causing dioxin, report agencies.
The countries are Singapore. South Korea. Britain, and Portugal.
At the same time. Japan will inspect all beef and milk products from France and Belgium before allowing them into the country.
Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene said that there had been no "generalised contamination of dioxin" in the Belgian and European food chain.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong has banned the import and sale of pork and poultry products from Belgium. France. Germany and the Netherlands due to a dioxin -cpntaminaUon scare, a health department spokeswoman said Saturday.
Retailers were ordered Friday to withdraw pork and poultry products after the cancercausing chemical was found in Belgian-made chicken food sold in various countries.
Imports of frozen or chilled pork and poultry are temporarily banned, while biscuits, eggs and other products made from pork or poultry can still be brought into Hong Kong but not sold.
South Korea
South Korea has imposed a ban on importing Belgian poultry. egg products and pork because ot possible contamination by cancer-causing dioxin.
The government was also
considering a ban on pork from France and the Netherlands, where some pigs may have been exposed to contaminated animal feed, a Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry official said Saturday.
South Korea imported 3,370 tons of Belgian pork this year, 2,430 tons of which have already been distributed. It hasn't imported any Belgian chicken.
Singapore
Singapore has banned all imports of meat and egg products from Europe over fear they may be contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical dioxin. a newspaper reported Satur-
The move follows reports that dioxin-tainted animal feed from Belgium may have been exported to other countries in Europe. The Straits Times said.
A number of countries have scrambled to keep Belgian food off their shelves in the wake of reports that dioxin-laced fat was used to make poultry feed used in Belgium.
The Singapore government on Thursday recalled pork and egg products from Belgium.
Late Friday, it expanded the measure to include all meat and egg products from Europe.
Britain
Britain formally banned imports of Belgian poultry, eggs, beef and pork products from midnight Friday. Joining a rising number of nations concerned by a contamination scare.
The public protection order also requires all retailers, from supermarket giants to corner shops, to remove any potentially contaminated products
from their shelves.
Only suppliers and stores which can prove their produce does not originate from one of the Belgian farms at the centre of the food scare will be allowed to import, officials at the Ministry of Agriculture said.
The move came as the European Union readied to extend its restrictions on Belgian chickens and poultry products, imposed Wednesday, to beef and pork.
A growing number of European countries, notably including Austria, France. Italy and the Netherlands, have already embargoed imports of beef, chicken or pork meat from Belgium, as well as derivative products such as eggs, milk and foods made with these ingredients.
The Netherlands extended the ban to Belgian sheep products.
Portugal
Portugal banned the import of live Belgian cattle, pigs, poultry and products derived from them Friday due to fears they may contain the carcinogen dioxin. Agriculture Minister Luis Capoulas Santos said.
He told reporters Portugal also had ordered the seizure of all cattle, pigs, poultry and products that had entered the country since January 15.
Capoulas Santos said the ban on the imports of live cattle. pigs and poultry would remain in force at least until a special meeting of veterinary experts from the 15 European Union (EU) states takes place in Brussels on Monday.
He said the Portuguese authorities had so far seized 63 tonnes of chicken and egg prod-
ucts imported from Belgium and 62 tonnes of pork products.
No imported of cattle products had been detected, he said.
Capoulas Santos said that the authorities had seized 1.200 breeding birds. 15 breeding pigs and 165 cattle.
An Agriculture Ministry official. who was not identified, told the Portuguese news agency Lusa that perishable animal products would be destroyed.
Japan steps up inspection
Japan will inspect all beef and milk imports from France and Belgium following concerns that they may be tainted with cancer-causing dioxin, the Health and Welfare Ministry said today.
Only products that cleared safety tests would be allowed into Japan, the ministry said.
The ministry told port quarantine officials on Wednesday to confiscate imported chicken and eggs from Belgium, and on Friday stepped up its inspections of food products from France and Belgium in which eggs were used as an ingredient.
The steps follow a report from the European Commission sent to the ministry earlier this week that said there was a strong possibility that French and Belgian animal feed may have been contaminated with dioxin, it said.
Belgium denies
Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene said overnight after crisis talks with his ministers that there had been no "generalised contamination by dioxin" in the Belgian and European food chain.