Farmers jailed for tainting leeks with pesticide

Two farmers in northern China were sentenced to prison for selling toxic leeks to farmers in Shouguang, Shandong province, and causing the deaths of about 120 goats, according to a verdict posted online.

Meng Wenguang and Meng Fanjiang, both from Shenyang, Liaoning province, used phorate - a highly toxic pesticide that was banned in China in 2002 - to control plant diseases and insects on the growing leeks.

When the leeks were fully grown, Dong Shoujun, a vegetable trader in Shouguang, purchased 300,000 kilograms from the men and sold them to distributors.