Prince Charles in Germany to support organic food
By Honor Mahony
Prince Charles began a two-day visit to Germany on Monday to give support to German organic food industry which has just been hit by a crisis. Organic farming, of which the Prince is a firm supporter, was thrown into panic after the discovery of the cancer-causing weedkiller, Nitrofen, in organically grown wheat. Matters came to a head over the weekend when Belgium said it would not take organic products from Germany if they did not have a ‘nitrofen-free’ label.
EU wide ban on the import of organic foods from Germany averted
The royal visit will include organic farms and a meeting with the German agricultural minister, Renate Kunast, reports the Guardian. Ms Kunast was appointed last year after public outrage about the BSE scandal and is the driving force behind the ‘greening’ of Germany’s farming.
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An EU wide ban on the import of organic foods from Germany was averted yesterday after the Commission declared itself "satisfied" with the measures taken so far by German authorities. At a committee meeting yesterday, experts from all of the member states agreed to proceed in a uniform manner, reports the FT Deutschland. This was a clear reference to Belgium which was thought to have spoken out of turn by demanding a ban without having first consulted the Commission.
German authorities will continue investigations
The German authorities will continue investigations into products that may be contaminated by nitrofen. The weedkiller got into the food chain because wheat had been stored in a warehouse in former East Germany, which used to contain the pesticide. The wheat was then given as feed to poultry. The Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health will meet again on June 13th to examine the findings of the on-going investigations. Meanwhile, the food ministry in Hamburg is planning to publish the list of the affected products and businesses on Wednesday.