More than 90,000 eggs contaminated by the insecticide fipronil have been requisitioned by police in Italy, reported Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa.

Some 6,000 eggs were found at a producer near Ancona, on the Adriatic coast, while 85,000, including 32,000 to be used as animal feed, were located at another producer in Viterbo, north of Rome.

The agency said that police action followed Monday's announcement by the Italian Health Ministry that 114 samples of eggs had been tested, and two had tested positive for the insecticide.

DPA quoted the head of the NAS, General Adelmo Lusi, as saying that the incident "could have been accidental, or it may have been the result of the illegal presence of fipronil in chicken feed."

Fipronil, a common ingredient in veterinary products for getting rid of fleas, lice and ticks in animals, is banned under EU law for use on animals destined for human consumption.

Italy is among more than a dozen countries affected by the contamination scandal, which has highlighted the complexity of food supply chains on the continent, the agency concluded

Source: Wam