'Wave of promises' not enough to combat BSE, says Parliament's president
European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine has expressed disappointment at the Agriculture Council conclusions on BSE (bovine spongiform ecephalopathy). The contentious topic of debate at the Council meeting was the testing of cattle for symptoms of BSE. Ministers rejected a mass testing programme, and opted instead for the introduction of tests to all cattle over 30 months which are deemed to be at risk from the disease. Parliament had hoped to see the rapid introduction of compulsory testing for BSE in all cattle, sheep and goats destined for slaughter, starting with all those above 18 months of age. Ms Fontaine's main point of contention is that the Council did not respond positively to Parliament's request for an immediate ban on all meat and bone meal. The Council invited the Commission to report back to it on this subject in preparation for the next Council meeting. Nicole Fontaine said she was 'deeply disappointed and worried even' by the Council's conclusions. 'These conclusions will not reassure consumers nor provide substantive answers to the problems facing the beef sector', she said. 'Whereas everything demonstrates that Member States are trailing their feet in actually implementing European legislation relating to the fight against BSE, it is not by reminding them to ensure the strict application of existing measures that the danger will go away (...). It is not a simple limited increase in tests and a wave of promises that will reassure consumers and render the efforts of the profession credible.'