The authorities in Finland suspect that about 1.3 million kilos of contaminated feed raw materials have been illegally imported from Denmark.
Customs announced on Tuesday that it would close the investigation into an exceptional case.
According to the agency, a Finnish feed producer operating in Ostrobothnia is suspected of having imported contaminated material, fish waste.
Customs and the Finnish Food Safety Authority stated that the consignment had been found to be at risk of spreading the coronavirus and other zoonoses.
Sanna ToivonenAccording to the Food and Drug Administration, there is a clear risk of fish waste spreading infectious zoonoses.
Authorities suspect that the raw material came from Danish fur farms and was stored on the same premises where the dead carcasses of mink were kept in Covid. In Denmark, about 17 million minks were slaughtered after some animals became infected with the coronavirus in 2021.
Director of Control of Finnish Customs, Hannu Sinkkonen, said no similar study had been carried out in the EU before the case. He added that the company suspected of smuggling the material was aware of the potential disease risk it posed.
"Such a practice is dangerous for the whole food chain," Sinkkonen said.
The Food Agency asked Customs to investigate the case late last year.
After the completion of the customs preliminary investigation in the autumn, the case will proceed to the Prosecutor’s Office for prosecution.
Source: The Nordic Page