Ralf Mller

Systems Engineering Laboratory

August 16, 2017
Europes Tainted Eggs
Throughout the last few months over 15 European Countries and Hong Kong have had to retire
tonnes of eggs from the supermarket shelves; due to the fact that most of these eggs had traces
of fipronil, an insecticide prohibited by European Union sanitation laws. The insecticide is used to
eliminate ticks and lies from hens. This chemical damages peoples livers, kidneys and thyroids.
The problem was brought up to the surface in early August when Aldi had to withdraw all of their
eggs from sale in Germany. After the scare in Germany many other countries in Europe started
testing their eggs for traces of fipronil, and in 17 countries the results were positive (BBC, 2017).
After the lab tests were returned over 170 egg farms spread across the Netherlands, Germany,
Belgium and France were shut down until further notice (BBC, 2017).

The main egg exporter in Europe, Netherlands, was the most affected country according
to authorities. The FSA, Food Standard Agency, has stated that the risk for public health was very
low and that no outcome will be obtained if the governments keep blaming and shaming each
other (BBC, 2017). New information has arisen that Dutch and Belgian authorities knew about the
contamination since early June. A meeting will be held on September 26th in order to eliminate
the crisis (BBC, 2017).

The event of tainted eggs can be seen as a system, due to the fact that all the main
stakeholders need to take part in the system for the flow of events to occur. The flow of events
need to occur in a specific order in order for the outcomes to take place. There are constant
interactions and feedback within the system. If you subdivide the system, you will get specific
governmental organs and enterprise; while the system is part of a much larger system of public
health that is ever-present in our modern day society.

1. Event: Aldi found traces of fipronil in the eggs they were selling in Germany. Many other
countries made lab tests and found the same results. Hundreds of tons of eggs in Europe
had to be destroyed because they were contaminated with the insecticide. Egg farms were
shut down until further notice. A meeting will be held in September in order to solve the
problem.
2. Pattern: Throughout the years the amount of lice and ticks present in egg farms had been
increasing. Due to the resistance of the parasites to FSA approved insecticides for their
elimination Dutch farms had to recur to the application of fipronil not knowing that the eggs
 laid by hens would be contaminated. Belgian and Dutch authorities knew about the
problem and kept quiet about it.

3. Structure:

Reference:
BBC (2017). Eggs containing fipronil found in 15 EU countries and Hong Kong - BBC News.
[online] BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40896899
[Accessed 17 Aug. 2017].

BBC (2017). Fipronil egg scandal: What we know - BBC News. [online] BBC News. Available at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40878381 [Accessed 17 Aug. 2017].