Further BSE safeguard measures to be introduced at EU level?
European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne has warned that a Community safeguard measure against BSE will be introduced if Member States fail to ensure consumer protection. The comments accompanied a call on Germany by Commissioner Byrne to withdraw from all EU and third country markets all products containing potentially dangerous materials. Mr Byrne insisted that any meat products identified by the German authorities as potentially containing materials presenting a health risk, must be withdrawn from circulation not only in Germany itself, but from export markets as well. 'My overriding concern is that consumers in other Member States are afforded an equal level of protection as consumers in Germany. If this cannot be achieved through the efforts of the Federal Authorities and the industries concerned, the Commission will be compelled to introduce a Community safeguard measure requiring the withdrawal of potentially contaminated products throughout the EU,' David Byrne cautioned. Commissioner Byrne asked the German authorities to notify other Member States immediately of measures being taken at national level. He made particular reference to the Germany's voluntary recalling of food products produced before 1 October 2000 containing mechanically recovered meat, saying: 'I welcome these precautionary measures but I insist that they must apply also to all meat products and meat preparations exported to all other Member States and to third countries.' Meanwhile in France on 2 January, an ambitious programme was launched to test the 20,000 cows over 30 months slaughtered each week. The tests have begun six months ahead of the EU deadline, agreed by the Agriculture Council in November 2000.