Eels health scare puts Chinese farming in spotlight

CHINA - Until 10 days ago, few people in Hong Kong had heard of an industrial dye known as malachite green. Now there are very few who have not.

For Hong Kong, the startling discovery of the potentially carcinogenic chemical in eels and fish imported from mainland China has made it the latest symbol of all that is wrong with Chinese commercial agriculture, weak central government regulation and the reluctance of the Communist authorities to share bad news with their neighbours.

In recent years, Hong Kong's 7m people have been subjected to a series of viruses and food scares originating on the mainland, including bird flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), pesticides in vegetables and as recently as this week outbreaks of a pig-borne bacterial disease often fatal to humans.

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Source: Financial Times

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