Japan halts imports of Dutch pork

Japan has imposed a temporary ban on imports of pork from the Netherlands, Dutch Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman said Wednesday.

Veerman told local press that the ban relates to possible contamination of the meat by dioxin.

Veerman has ordered a suspension of trading by over 200 farm businesses linked to the scare about high levels of dioxin in pig fat.

The Netherlands has rejected a request by Japan for the names of these businesses while the Japanese said they were not satisfied with a Dutch statement that the meat was safe.

Japan and South Korea, which slapped a similar ban last week, are not major buyers of Dutch pork. Each of the countries takes 1. 5 percent of the total export of pork from the Netherlands.

Source: Xinhua