UK organic group says drug residues found in eggs

[Guest guest]

UK: January 18, 2002

 

LONDON - A leading organic group said this week that drug residues that

could harm humans have been found in thousands of eggs on sale in Britain,

potentially dealing another blow to intensive farming methods.

 

The report, which could make consumers even more edgy about food following a

series of scares, was criticised by egg associations, with the British Egg

Industry Council calling it " irresponsible scaremongering " .

 

Organic group the Soil Association said lasalocid - a drug it said was too

toxic to be used in medicine and shown to have potent effects on animals -

had been found in 2.6 percent of chicken eggs and 60 percent of quails'

eggs. " Even low levels of lasalocid are dangerous to mammals and this raises

concerns about how toxic the drug is to humans, " Alison Craig, author of a

Soil Association report, said in a statement.

 

" We know that this drug hangs around in the body, so we could be

accumulating it every time we eat eggs or chicken. The government's testing

programme for such residues is wholly inadequate - only one out of every 18

million eggs is analysed. "

 

The Soil Association said the drug, which is put into animal feed, had been

found to produce rapid contractions in a human heart muscle and was used

widely in intensive farming.

 

But the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) said the drug was not fed to

laying hens and only given to those which are bred for poultry meat.

 

" Egg-laying hens are reared differently and completely separately from

chickens used for poultry meat, " Andrew Joret, BEIC deputy chairman, said.

" Lasalocid is not part of a laying hen's diet. "

 

British consumers have become increasingly wary over food, after a series of

scares including mad cow disease affecting beef and salmonella in eggs.

 

 

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

 

 

 

 

******

Kraig and Shirley Carroll ... in the woods of SE Kentucky

thehavens

http://www.thehavens.com/

mail to: PerfectScience

606-376-3363

 

" Cancer was a blessing that continues to this day "

Expect Miracles

 

We only have one Earth.

There are NO SPARE PARTS.

We must PROTECT OUR WORLD!

Please protect your world.

..... Ayhan Doyuk, Chairman of Perfect Science