BRUSSELS - At least 11 European states have recalled eggs from their grocery stores after a scandal broke out around dangerous fipronil insecticide contamination, a source in the European Commission told Sputnik on Friday.
In late July, millions of eggs in Belgian, Dutch, German and other EU states' supermarkets turned out to be contaminated with fipronil, which is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be a moderately hazardous substance. The substance is used to treat lice, fleas and ticks, and in large quantities, it can cause liver, kidney and thyroid gland damage.
"The recall of eggs was reported by Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Luxembourg, Denmark, Slovakia and Romania, as well as Switzerland," the source said.
Earlier in the day, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis called an urgent ministerial meeting in the light of the ongoing scandal with eggs.
Belgian media reported on Tuesday that the country's Agriculture Minister Denis Ducarme accused Dutch authorities of failing to warn EU countries about egg contamination after it had been allegedly revealed by the country back in November 2016. The Netherlands, which is the leading producer of eggs in the European Union, has denied the accusations.