On Tuesday, traces of the insecticide fiprinol were found on three poultry farms in Changhua County.
This news comes after hundreds of thousands of eggs tainted with fiprinol that had been exported from the Netherlands and Belgium were recalled from stores across Europe, and traces of the chemical were found in Hong Kong and South Korea. Now, it appears we have our own homegrown concerns over tainted eggs.
Fiprinol is a broad-spectrum insecticide created 30 years ago in Europe. It is nasty stuff. Mostly toxic to insects, it is also poisonous to certain mammals, birds, fish and bees. It has been linked to colony collapse disorder among bees.
It is present in many household products. Dog and cat owners might apply it in the form of monthly flea treatments. The instructions for these treatments are specific about avoiding contact with your skin or injesting the substance, due to toxicity concerns. It can also be an active ingredient in cockroach traps and ant killers used in the home.
The WHO classifies fiprinol as a Class II moderately hazardous pesticide, while the US Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a group C — possible human — carcinogen.
It also efficiently kills poultry lice, which cause anemia in poultry, reduces hens’ egg-laying ability and possibly even kills them. This is why the chemical is used in cleaning products to sanitize chicken coops, and has been liberally used by Taiwanese poultry farmers.
However, care must be taken to avoid contamination with live chickens or, indeed, other animals that are introduced to the human food chain, to prevent liver, thyroid and kidney damage in humans.
While the levels observed in the tainted eggs in Taiwan or Europe are unlikely to actually harm consumers, laws are in place to regulate maximum residue levels. Taiwan uses the more conservative limits imposed in Europe of 5 parts per billion (ppb) compared with the limit of 30ppb used in the US.
Samples from one of the Changhua County farms, Liancheng (連成), were particularly egregious, with the tests showing 153ppb.
According to Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Deputy Director-General Feng Hai-tung (馮海東), the use of pesticides containing fiprinol has been banned since Jan. 1 last year because farmers used it too liberally.
Unfortunately, the government considered the product to be very effective, and possibly useful for other applications, and decided against revoking the license to produce or sell it, Feng added.
It has therefore remained readily available, albeit illegally, despite the ban.
The government is expected to fine the owners of the three farms and revoke licenses to produce the pesticide spray used on farms. It will also be looking into whether to fine the suppliers.
The government must remain vigilant against the actions of unscrupulous farmers and pesticide suppliers.
Even if trace levels do not necessarily represent a danger to consumer health, in terms of the amount of eggs consumers could be reasonably expected to eat in a given period of time, it is incumbent upon the government to ensure that the standards it introduces are complied with and to regulate the supply and production of banned substances so that farmers are not tempted to flout bans.
Instead, we are again seeing poorly planned legislation ensuring that the stable door is closed only after the horse has bolted.
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