Italy urged to contain toxic Mozzarella cheese[fr][de] 

The European Commission has urged the Italian authorities to take "further measures" to ensure that dioxin-contaminated mozzarella cheese does not enter the EU market after toxic samples of milk and cheese were detected in the Campania region.

Italy had informed Brussels on Wednesday that samples of cheese from 25 farms producing buffalo milk and mozzarella cheese were found to contain "dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs above the EU maximum levels".

Dioxins have been linked to cancer but a Commission spokesperson said the levels found, although above EU standards, were "not excessive".

The contaminated cheese and milk were found in a sample taken from 130 farms in the Naples area which has been embroiled for months in a crisis over waste collection. The crisis first broke out in summer 2007, making international headlines and prompting EU infringement procedures (EurActiv 27/06/07). In January this year, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas had threatened to impose fines on Italy for breaching EU waste legislation (EurActiv 16/01/08).

However, Italy said the problem had been contained and that no mozzarella cheese containing dioxins had been traded outside Italy.

In a statement, the Commission said it believes that the measures put in place are "not sufficient […] because no recall of potentially contaminated products has been carried out and the surveillance programme on the farms of the Campania region is still too limited".

Health Minister Livia Turco said she would send a letter to the Commission on Friday (28 March) to explain the special measures taken for the inspection of all farms in Campania to prevent an EU-wide ban.