USDA Releases Hold On Belgium Pork Products

August 17, 1999

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has released from ports of entry a hold on all pork products exported from Belgium. The action was based on information from Belgium and test results conducted for dioxin.

"Meat and poultry products produced in European Union member states have been on hold at U.S. ports of entry since June 3," said FSIS Administrator Thomas J. Billy, "because feed contaminated with dioxin and PCBs may have been fed to animals in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The hold was necessary because of concerns that open trading among EU member states may have spread contamination beyond its original boundaries."

The Belgian government has documented that all pork used in products processed for the U.S. market originated in Denmark, the Netherlands or another approved country; no Belgian meat was used in products exported to the United States. Further pork product shipments from Belgium will be held and tested unless the meat is certified as originating from an approved third country.

FSIS also lifted import restrictions on meat and poultry products from Austria. On Aug. 2, FSIS released products from Germany, on July 20 from Spain, France and the Netherlands, on July 2 from Finland, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, on June 18 from Denmark, and on June 11 Parma ham from Italy and Serrano ham from Spain. Products from Italy, except Parma ham, remain on hold until test results show them safe for the U.S. market.