Allar Jõks, attorney at law for M.V.Wool, told ERR he and the company had not been told the reason behind the demand for the destruction of its stock.

VTA Deputy Director General Olev Kalda told ERR: "In this case, on Nov. 26, M.V.Wool filed a complaint with the Tallinn Administrative Court seeking a declaration of nullity or, alternatively, annulment of the Nov. 25 injunction and the partial suspension of the injunction for the duration of the administrative proceeding."

"The VTA has submitted its views to the court, and obviously the court will rule on the application for interim relief in a reasoned order in the near future. Therefore, according to the agency, it is not appropriate to share comments before the court decision," said Kalda.

M.V.Wool: Stock meets zero tolerance requirements

Indrek Rajangu, Sales Director at MV Wool, said he does not understand how destroying all stock in the warehouse will lead to the elimination of strain ST1247 in production.

"There are tens of tons of different frozen raw materials imported worldwide in original packaging that have never gone into the industry but have moved directly from trucks to the frozen warehouse: herring (from Norway), herring fillet (from Norway), mackerel (from Norway), etc.," said Rajangu.

He said finished products such as "Pickled eel" and other products that are boiled in a marinade and then sealed in sterile jars must also be destroyed.

"The aforementioned products, and many others, do not even have the theoretical ability to carry ST1247 because the listeria bacterium is destroyed at 73 degrees. No strain of ST1247 has been found in the logistics chain, that is, warehouses and trucks. Why do we have to completely destroy quality products?" he said.

Listeria bacteria that has been traced back to the M.V.Wool fish plant in Estonia has been contracted by nine people in Estonia, two of whom died as a result, ETV's Pealtnägija reported in September. Since then the plant in Harku, near Tallinn, has been tested for listeria and results have shown the bacteria is still present.

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