In Belgium, the chemical PFAS has been found above the standard in beef at two dairy farms. It has not been found in milk. Eggs have also been found with PFAS above the standard.
Last year, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) examined 370 food samples for PFAS. In January, FASFC announced that this study revealed four samples that exceeded the established European standards for PFAS.
This involved two samples from cattle farms, one of eggs and one of shrimp. The eggs came from a company that kept hens outside as a sideline. The hens are no longer present, so no measures were necessary for this company, reports a spokesperson for FAVV.
The beef samples come from two dairy farms. Vilt.be reports that in any case it concerns a company in Stabroek, in the Antwerp port area. Poultry farming is in the same region. The shrimp were also caught in this region and the second cattle farm is also located in one of the PFAS risk areas, the spokesperson reported.
Test cattle individually
Because no PFAS ends up in the milk, dairy farms are allowed to supply their product. Calves of 2 or 3 weeks old may also be removed from the farms, because they have almost exclusively drunk milk. Older animals may not be transported. Delivering cattle for slaughter is only allowed on the condition that each animal is individually tested for PFAS. Only if the meat is below the permitted PFAS value can it be intended for consumption. If not, the flesh must be destroyed.
The question for the companies now is who will compensate the damage. According to Vilt, it may be difficult to pinpoint the culprit, because there are several companies in the region that emit PFAS.
Dutch eggs still available
In the Netherlands, eggs from poultry farms have so far been free of PFAS, including from farms with free range. This is evident from research conducted on 41 laying poultry farms by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). In addition, Avined had the eggs from ninety poultry farms examined. During this study, no PFAS was found at 89 companies and at one company a small trace was found that was still far below the permitted amount.
This is different with eggs from hobby farmers, where at least 40 percent of the eggs examined exceed the standard. The companies with too high a PFAS content are not only located around Dordrecht, but spread throughout the Netherlands. Some of the results can be found on pfasinkaart.nl.
The research into PFAS in eggs is part of the research that the NVWA conducts into PFAS in foods. European standards for the maximum permitted content for PFAS have been in force since April 25, 2023. So far, no foodstuffs have been found that are above the European limit.
