Guest guest Posted October 27, 2000 Report Share Posted October 27, 2000 More reasons to say it's " a great time to be vegan! " After Mad Cow, Rotten Duck Shocks Gourmets http://news.excite.com/news/r/001027/08/odd-ducks-dc Updated 8:24 AM ET October 27, 2000 By Francois Raitberger PARIS (Reuters) - After mad cows, it's dodgy duck -- another food scandal hit French headlines Friday to shock a country proud of its gourmet reputation. The daily Le Parisien revealed that 23 tonnes of duck confit, a hearty southwestern specialty of duck meat preserved in its own fat, were found to be rotten in a routine inspection last year. Almost half the shipment had already been packed into 6,000 tins labeled " Top quality " and was set for delivery from the factory in the Dordogne region, the proud home of such famous delicacies as foie gras and truffles. The news -- which dominated radio and television headlines Friday -- came as the Agriculture Ministry announced another seven cases of mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), bringing to 78 the total number of cases of the brain-wasting disease detected this year. Their herds, 531 animals in all, were destroyed, it said. Meanwhile, displaying another French tradition almost as entrenched as good eating, trade unionists said they would demonstrate later Friday for the release of a trader jailed for selling livestock from a herd where BSE had been detected. Three retail chains this week warned customers to return any beef they had bought recently because some of their shipments had come from the same herd in western France. Eating BSE-infected beef can trigger a version of the similarly fatal Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease in humans. In Corsica, officials reported that over 260 sheep suffering from a nose and throat inflammation known locally as " blue tongue disease " had died or been slaughtered this week. WEBBED FEET AND FEATHERS Le Parisien published a facsimile of the Agriculture Ministry inspector's report that said duck meat had been left standing for some time after its slaughter before being canned. Some duck legs were badly bruised while others still had their webbed feet and feathers attached. The scandal went unreported and the company went bankrupt eight months ago, Le Parisien said. Financial police were investigating suspicions of tax fraud, abuse of corporate funds and money laundering. The state prosecutor investigating the case was due to hold a news conference later in the day. The scandal, which could shake other food companies in southwest France, followed a series of scares including the presence of dioxin and sewage sludge in animal feed. Apart from the suspect beef recalled from the three supermarket chains, about 10 makers of tripe and animal feed also received meat products from the affected herd. The Agriculture Ministry said efforts were under way to retrieve the potentially contaminated meat products, but some might have already wound up feeding man and beast. A year ago the European Commission reported that some French rendering plants were supplying animal feed makers with animal remains contaminated by sewage sludge. France's poultry and dairy industries lost at least 500 million French francs ($63 million) last year after it was discovered that Belgian animal feed tainted with the toxic chemical dioxin had made its way to French farms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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