Tests from a German animal feed plant found excessive levels of the poisonous chemical dioxin last March, officials say, as contamination fears spread.
The findings from supplier Harles und Jentzsch only came to light last week and should have been publicised earlier, regional officials said.
Some 4,700 German farms have been closed after large amounts of feed were found to contain dioxin.
Officials insist the levels of dioxin do not pose a risk to humans.
They say the closures – mostly affecting pig farms in Germany’s Lower Saxony region – are only a precaution.
Initially, the scare was confined to Germany but then it emerged that a batch of eggs had been exported to Holland and from there to Britain.
British authorities said that the amounts of dioxin – which is linked to the development of cancer in humans – in any egg would be very small, and not enough to be dangerous.
The dioxin scare has prompted South Korea to block imports of German pork and poultry products from reaching consumers because of health concerns, local media reported on Friday.
Source:BBC
