EU must learn from UK's BSE mistakes say British MEPs
MEPs were given the chance on 1 February to inform David Byrne, European Commissioner for Consumer Protection, of their reactions to the outcome of a consultation between the Commission and the Agriculture Council on Monday. At the Council meeting, Ministers agreed to take further action in order to tackle the BSE problem. It was proposed that mechanically recovered meat should be banned from all the bones of ruminants. Second, it was proposed that ruminant fats in ruminant feeds be pressure cooked, although Mr Byrne did accept that there is a question over whether these changes can be properly enforced. Finally, the Commission proposed that the vertebral column should be removed where there are doubts about food safety. Again this raised a number of questions, such as when the vertebral column should be removed; at the abattoir or at the point of sale. Several MEPs registered their disappointment in both Member States and the Commission for past reactions to the BSE crisis, but these judgments were criticised by several British MEPs. MEP Neil Parish considered that it was wrong for Member States to blame the Commission in this area. In tackling BSE one should not seek to reinvent the wheel. There must be one policy throughout Europe and the older cattle must be taken out of the food chain and destroyed, he argued. 'Europe owes you its solidarity, Mr Byrne,' said MEP Phillip Whitehead, who noted that the UK had been the first in the cycle of complacency and despair. He questioned what the tests are showing, and what Member States are saying. MEP Liz Lynne also stressed that all safeguards must be monitored carefully, and emphasised that the EU should learn from the UK's past mistakes. In response to the debate, Mr Byrne confirmed that testing for animals over 30 months old is now the norm, and that from 30 April, EU measures would also apply to imports from third countries. He added however, that scientists are not yet in a position to carry out tests on live animals.