Mass testing for BSE rejected by Council of Ministers
Europe's agriculture ministers talked through the night on 20 November before announcing their decision to reject a mass testing programme aimed at fighting BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). Instead, the Council elected to introduce testing of cattle over 30 months which are deemed to be at risk of the disease. The abandoned proposal had been supported by the Commission, and France, which has experienced new cases. The proposal was unpopular in Nordic countries and Austria, where fewer cases of BSE have come to light. The Council closely examined the situation resulting from recent developments with regard to BSE and took note of the various emergency measures adopted over the period prior to the meeting. It confirmed the need to guarantee the highest possible level of consumer protection and to win back consumer confidence. The Council also confirmed the importance of the measures taken with regard to traceability, including the labelling of processed products, and the withdrawal of risk materials at both Community and national level, to protect the health of consumers. At Community level, the following measures have already been taken: - surveillance measures for the detection, control and eradication of BSE; - ban on feeding mammalian meat and bone meal to ruminants; - treatment of animal waste at 133 degrees and 3 bar for 20 minutes to reduce its infectivity; - withdrawal from the food chain of specified risk materials from the bovine, ovine and caprine species; - implementation of a monitoring programme using rapid tests for categories of animals at risk. The Council emphasised that it was the responsibility of the Member States to ensure that these measures are strictly implemented, and took careful note of the Commission's intention to carry out the necessary inspections promptly. The Council also began discussions on the Commission proposals on setting up a European Food Authority and the use of animal by-products in farm animal feed. The Council invited the Commission to report back to it for its next meeting on the implementation of Community rules to combat BSE, including the ban on meat and bone meal in feed for ruminants, and to submit any further useful proposals to guarantee compliance with and implementation of these rules.