Fipronil contaminated eggs found in 15 EU states

Eggs contaminated by fipronil from European poultry farms have been found in 15 European Union (EU) countries, Switzerland and China's Hong Kong, an European Commission spokesperson said on Friday.

The Commission's spokesman Daniel Rosario said all had received eggs contaminated with fipronil.

Recently, millions of fipronil contaminated eggs had been removed from shelves in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

Fipronil is a pesticide effective on a large number of pests. It is considered slightly poisonous by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is hence forbidden on animals destined for the food chain to prevent damage to human liver, thyroid and kidney.