Commission outlines BSE measures
The Commission has revealed the details of the exceptional measures to be taken to counter BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) that entail slaughtering cattle over 30 months old in the European Union. The 'purchase for destruction' scheme, which applies from 1 January 2001 to 30 June 2001, will have 70 per cent of the costs of the purchase of the cattle met by the Commission, with Member States paying for the rest (plus the costs of storage and destruction of the cattle). Cattle will have to be stained and stored separately to ensure that they are not then sold for human consumption. Those countries deemed to be low risk (namely Austria, Finland and Sweden) can choose to slaughter cattle over 30 months old for human consumption, but only in their national markets. Any of this beef sold for export will be subject to the same BSE test. The purchase for destruction scheme does not apply in the UK, which already has an EU co-funded scheme which sees all cattle over 30 months slaughtered. Kits for testing both cattle for human consumption and risk cattle will be co-funded by the Commission up to 15 and 30 euros respectively, until the end of June 2001. A rough estimate worked out by the Commission is that if 100,000 tonnes of beef is withdrawn under the scheme, the cost to the EU budget would be 140 million euros, but the final cost will depend on how many kits are applied for, the price of beef and how many cattle Member States choose to slaughter. Franz Fischler, European Agriculture Commissioner, said of the plan: 'This scheme will maximise guarantees for consumers and minimise the costs for the taxpayers. Obviously, this extraordinary measure will cost money - for farmers, the meat industry, Member States and the EU. But I am convinced that this money is a sound investment.' The scheme will address both restoring confidence in beef and dealing with the oversupply in the market, which has resulted in plummeting beef sales.