French detain British trucks
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a At least four British trucks carrying dairy produce were impounded on the border between Belgium and France last week when they were caught up with the dioxin food scare in Belgium.
The trucks were carrying cheese which French officials believed might contain traces of the cancer-causing chemical dioxin which could have contaminated animal feed. However one driver who called CM from France said he thought the cheese had been manufactured in Germany and simply stored in Belgium by manufacturer Kraft.
A spokesman for Wincanton Logistics confirms that one of its trucks was impounded by French customs and veterinary officials on Monday 7 June and was not released to the company until
Sunday 13 June. The driver was brought home independently.
The trucks were held for longer than had been expected while hauliers waited for permission from Kraft for the produce to be stored in a chilled warehouse.
• Kraft insisted all along that the food was safe and that it had documentation to prove this. • Hauliers were held up on the border again last Friday as Belgian farmers tried to block food imports from France. Their action followed the Etelgian Government's assurance that potentially contaminated food was in fact safe.
The UK DoT says the blockades were "half-hearted" and did not cause too many delays.