Commission proposes new legislation on hormones as growth promoters
The European Commission is proposing amendments to existing regulations on the use of hormones as growth promoters and is calling for a ban on raising farm animals with the chemical 17-Beta oestradiol. The decision is based on advice from an EU scientific steering committee, which has unanimously agreed that the use of hormones as growth promoters in cattle poses a health risk to consumers. The call reinforces the Commission's opposition to allowing hormones in meat. In 1998, this position upset the World Trade Organisation, which ruled that the EU had not supplied sufficient information to justify banning imports of meat and meat products from animals treated with six hormones. The Commission called on the advice of its scientific committee of veterinary measures (SCVPH) relating to public health. Their resulting report on the risks to human health from hormone residues in meat and meat products concluded that the use of six hormones (17 beta-oestradiol, progesterone, testosterone, zeranol, trenbolone and melengestrol acetate) used for growth promotion in cattle poses a risk to humans with different levels of conclusive evidence. 'There is a substantial body of evidence that the natural hormone 17 beta-oestradiol should be considered as a complete carcinogen exerting body tumour initiating and tumour-promoting effects,' reports the Commission. Last year, on the basis of this report the Commission agreed that it would be inappropriate to lift the existing ban on the use of growth promoters in meat production. A more recent review of the SCVPH's findings which also took into consideration advice from other expert groups reiterated and supported their earlier position. It is in the light of this fresh evidence that the Commission proposes to ban 17 Beta oestradiol 'and its ester-like derivative in farm animals both for growth promotion and therapeutic purposes and zootechnical treatment. The Commission also proposes to maintain the current prohibition on the five other hormones on a provisional basis while it seeks more scientific information.' The provisions will be kept under regular review and will apply equally to Member States and imports from third countries. The proposal must now pass through the co-decision procedure in Council and the European Parliament, with the Commission hoping to see new legislation in force by July 2001 at the latest.