(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission has asked Italy to urgently provide information on possible dioxin contamination of mozzarella cheese made with buffalo milk, a spokeswoman said Wednesday

"Yesterday we asked the Italian authorities to provide all the available information and we await a reply today or tomorrow (Thursday) at the latest," the commission spokeswoman said.

"There's no need for panic as there is no scientific proof," she added.

Last week, 66 buffalo herds in the Naples region were quarantined because of high levels of dioxin found in the milk used to make mozzarella.

Checks were being carried out around the southern Italian city and nearby Caserta, following contamination probably caused by the region's chronic waste management problem.

The problem is exacerbated by the local Camorra mafia, which controls many dumps in the region and makes a lucrative business out of shipping in industrial waste from companies in the north.

The Caserta region, which counts some 1,900 buffalo farms, is the heartland of buffalo milk mozzarella, a soft cheese served with tomatoes and basil in a Neopolitan speciality, the caprese salad.

Contamination of the buffalo milk was highlighted in 2001 and 2003 after which the EU's executive arm had called on Italy to carry out regular testing, the commission spokeswoman said.

"The results for the years 2005 and 2006 showed no risks to human health," she told AFP.

"We are awaiting the results of the 2007 analyses and explanations of the current situation," she added

"If the tests show any contamination, then the Italian authorities will have to take emergency measures to protect the internal market," she added.

Italy produces 33,000 tonnes of mozzarella per year, with some 250,000 buffalo producing the milk for the product.

Eighty percent is made in Campania, which is Italy's poorest region, according to figures from the Eurostat data agency. Naples is the region's main city.

Sixteen percent of all buffalo mozzarella is exported, with Japan importing 329 tonnes per year and South Korea 10 tonnes.

Japan and South Korea have already suspended imports of the cheese.

Italian health officials were to hold a crisis meeting Wednesday amid a sharp drop in sales of the famed buffalo mozzarella cheese.

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