British Health Aide Quits After Furor Over Eggs

LONDON — Edwina Currie, the junior health minister who sparked a major controversy by saying most of Britain’s eggs were contaminated, resigned Friday.

A government spokesman said Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher accepted the 42-year-old politician’s resignation with “great personal sadness.”

Currie said in a television interview two weeks ago that most of Britain’s eggs were infected with salmonella bacteria, which causes food poisoning.

The egg industry said that sales had slumped by 50% as a result of her remarks and that egg producers had taken legal action for damages against the outspoken politician.

In an attempt to restore public confidence, the government took out ads in national newspapers Friday saying eggs were basically safe if properly cooked.

At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture announced an emergency aid package to farmers under which it will buy millions of eggs left unsold as a result of the scare.

The egg industry has said millions of hens may have to be slaughtered and that 10,000 jobs are at risk as the country’s mountain of 300 million eggs grows by 20 million a day.