13.01.2011

Harles and Jentzsch, the company accused of supplying dioxin-contaminated fat to the animal-feed industry in Germany, filed in court for insolvency on Wednesday.

The court will have to decide if the conditions for insolvency apply. The company must show it is unable to pay its bills or is saddled with too much debt.

The company, based in Uetersen, north-west of Hamburg, is under investigation by prosecutors and could also potentially face vast civil claims from ~ 5,000 German farms that were closed down during the dioxin scare.

Harles and Jentzsch has been accused of supplying around 3,000 tons of contaminated fat intended for industrial use as an ingredient for feed intended for chickens and pigs.

Some 400 farms are still closed.