Germany's organics industry has been thrown into disarray after banned pesticides were discovered in chicken feed on organic farms supplying leading supermarkets. Metro, Wal-Mart, Tengelmann and a raft of other chains pulled organic eggs, chickens and sausages made from poultry meat from shelves after it emerged they could have been contaminated by the banned herbicide Nitrofen. At least 100 organic farms fed their chickens grain containing dangerously high levels of Nitrofen, warned the government, which has launched an investigation. German agriculture minister Renate Künast will also look at the possibility of sabotage, given the levels of Nitrofen were so high. Companies found guilty of negligence in spreading the contaminated wheat would be shut down, said Kunast, admitting the scare reflected "an outdated system and missing controls". The government will also investigate why authorities were not informed in March, when contaminated wheat was first discovered. The authorities were only alerted when babyfood manufacturer Hipp discovered the substance last month. {{NEWS }}

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