Brussels, 27/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is expected to bring forward a proposal before the end of the year to lift the restrictions in force in a number of countries (France, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ireland and also Liechtenstein and Switzerland) on the use of sheep materials deemed to be specific risks.
In July, these states were removed from the list of “controlled-risk” countries with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and placed on the list of countries of “negligible risk”. In these countries, the removal and destruction of these materials - such as, the spinal column of animals of over 30 months, the tonsils and the intestines - were required so that they did not enter the human food chain. The change in the status towards BSE means that the restrictions can be lifted. EU experts could vote on this issue in January 2016 at the earliest. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)