October in 1988,a number of UK food poisoning incidents were reported from hospitals'city banquets and the House o Lords'each of which were attributed to the consumption of eggs and cheese. In November 1988,the Department of Health issued a UK warning to the general public to avoid eating raw eggs. One month later,the former UK Health Minister Edwina Currie announced on Independent Television News that the majority of UK egg production was infected with Salmonella（沙门菌）.Following a lawsuit by 12 UK egg producers，Edwina Currie MP resigned and the Ministry of Agriculture,Fisheries and Food（MAFF）set aside￡20 million to compensate egg producers. Salmonella levels in UK-produced eggs are now a third of what they were in 1996.<br> 1988年工2月3日，英国卫生部国务大臣爱德维娜·柯里夫人在接受独立电视网记者采访时说：“本国养鸡场生产的蛋，大多带有沙门菌。”这一讲话当天向全国播放后，英国鸡蛋市场立刻发生一场“地震”。<br> 全国上下立即染上了鸡蛋恐惧症，人们纷纷对鸡蛋敬而远之。市场上的鸡蛋无人问津，行情一落千丈。几天内，鸡蛋销售量骤然下降了50％，造成4亿只鸡蛋滞销。鸡场主和农民群起而攻之，要求柯里夫人辞职，政府内部也闹起了内讧，执政党议员和执政党政府大臣互相攻击。作为英国最大的蛋鸡饲养公司之一的泰晤士河谷鸡蛋公司宣布它要采取行动，恢复鸡蛋的好名声。整个行业决心进行反击。农业部与卫生部也公开表示要澄清事实真相，制订广告宣传计划，携手发动一场大规模的宣传运动，旨在恢复英国鸡蛋的声誉，号召人民放心吃蛋。为此政府拨出了5。万英镑的紧急专款。然而这仍旧没有扭转鸡蛋市场，也未能平息鸡场主及其议会代理人的怒气。无可奈何之下，爱德维娜·柯里夫人，这位号称“撒切尔第二”的女强人，于12月16日下午2时黯然辞职而去。
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