Parliament adopts report calling for more BSE research resources
On 6 February the European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report by Swedish MEP Karl Erik Olsson on the monitoring of the BSE crisis. The resolution calls on the Commission to make more resources available to continue research into transmissible spongiform brain diseases and to investigate ways of dealing with unknown diseases and infections in the EU. The draft resolution proposed by Mr Olsson also urges reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to take account of food safety, and criticises the 'failure by some Member States to comply with EU legislation.' The report says that between 1987 and 2000 almost 180,000 bovine animals were infected with BSE in the UK, and there were 1,325 cases elsewhere in Europe. It reveals that 97 people have developed the disease in the UK to date, while three people have been affected in France and one in Ireland. As the incubation period is unknown, it is impossible to predict how many cases will arise in the future, says the document. It says that the Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission should be given power to monitor Member States' food legislation and instruct them to adopt immediate measures where necessary. The report also says that the Commission must have the right to impose penalties on EU countries that fail to implement legislation. The report states that Member States must step up their monitoring of BSE testing, and calls for testing to be extended to sheep. It also calls on the Commission to verify that all EU states are applying the regulation strictly, and for enforcement of the 1994 ban on feeding mammalian meat and bone meal to grazing animals. The report also says the Commission must act to fully investigate the possible link between calf feed and BSE following the most recent cases in Denmark and Finland, and take steps to ensure that animal feed cannot be contaminated.