Brussels - Belgium's crisis over the presence of the harmful chemical dioxin in food reached farcical proportions yesterday with the government seemingly unable to decide whether to revoke a wide-reaching exports ban.
The Health Minister, Ms Magda Aelvoet, on Friday issued an export ban on all foodstuffs containing more than two per cent animal fat which had not been issued with a certificate proving they are free from dioxin. The only exception to the ban was fats derived from milk.
Since Belgian laboratories lack the capacity to carry out the lengthy analysis of all the products affected, Friday's ban amounted to a virtual suspension of all such food exports.
On Saturday, however, Ms Aelvoet told Dutch television station RTL-TVI she was having second thoughts about the ban. But yesterday, the government commissioner in charge of the dioxin dossier, Mr Freddy Willockx, said that the new ban might remain in place after all.