Wenya Farm in Chiayi County has been fined NT$120,000 for distributing eggs with high residues of the pesticide fipronil-sulfone, the Chiayi County Government said today.
The Food and Drug Administration recently recalled more than 150,000 eggs after the Changhua County Public Health Bureau on Tuesday last week found an excessive amount of fipronil-sulfone in a batch of eggs from a local farm.
The eggs were traced to Wenya Farm, which has been temporarily prohibited from selling any products.
Photo courtesy of the Nantou County Government
Further testing found that eggs and chicken feathers from the farm had traces of the pesticide and other metabolites exceeding permissible levels, the ministry said in a news release yesterday.
The ministry recommended that the county government impose heavy fines under the Veterinary Drugs Control Act (動物用藥品管理法) and said that prosecutors would continue to investigate the source of the contamination and responsibility.
Changhua County Animal Disease Control Center Director Tung Meng-chih (董孟治) said that fipronil-sulfone is a pesticide and should never be used on animals.
Farmers who need to deal with chicken mites can use approved medications, but only before hens start laying, otherwise drug residue could end up in the eggs, Tung said.
The center fined the farm NT$120,000 for contravening the Veterinary Drugs Control Act after fipronil-sulfone was detected in the farm, he said.
The ministry asked the center to place movement restrictions on the farm and require that all eggs pass inspection before they can be sold.
Using fipronil-sulfone on animals has been banned since Sept. 6, 2017, and is subject to a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$300,000, the ministry said.
If it harms public health, those responsible could face up to seven years in prison, it said.
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