Feed factory representative arrested in tainted eggs scandal

By Yang Lifei  |   2008-10-30  |     ONLINE EDITION

THE legal representative of a feed factory has been arrested after melamine was found in its products, according to Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group, a producer of eggs that contained an excessive amount of the industrial chemical in its products, Beijing News reported today.

Han Wei, president of Dalian Hanwei, said the unidentified legal representative of Shenyang City-based Xinmin Mingxing Feed Factory was in police custody, according to the report.

The Hong Kong government found Dalian Hanwei’s eggs contained melamine because chickens were fed with tainted grain from Xinmin Mingxing, Han was cited as saying.

``The chemical was first discovered during a check on grains by the company,’’ Han told the newspaper.

Dalian Hanwei later issued a national recall of the problematic eggs because ``leaking water tainted the feed in the store house,’’ the report said.

However, the government of Dalian City said in a statement that the tainted eggs were first found in a regular check by the Liaoning Province Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, the newspaper said.

It remained unclear why the bureau did not publicize the discovery of melamine-contaminated eggs. The administration rejected media interviews, the report said.

On October 22, the Liaoning Province Animal Health Bureau ordered its subordinate departments to examine and register feed products made by Xinmin Mingxing Feed Factory. The bureau stated on its Website that it would not talk to media.

Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group has been in business for 26 years and is the biggest producer of eggs and egg products in China. It owns four egg farms, three of which are specifically for export.

Tainted eggs produced by Dalian Hanwei Group were first reported in Hong Kong on Saturday.