Brussels, 13/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - In reaction to the psychosis over mad cow in France and the rise in defiance of European consumers vis-à-vis beef, the European Commission will propose to the Member States to extend to all cows aged over two annual screening tests that present Community legislation impose on them, in practice (as of 1 January 2001), on a sample of target dead animals most exposed to the risk of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). In virtue of this legislation, around 170,000 rapid post-mortem tests will have to be carried out on the EU territory, in the framework of national programmes that the Member States will be forced to implement and that France has already done so. With the new measure considered by the Commission several million test would be undertaken each year, thus increasing the guarantees of food safety offered to consumers of beef by the arsenal of risk prevention measures already enforced (ban of bone meal in ruminant feed, the elimination of specific risk materials for the animal and human food chain since last 1 October, for example).
The options being considered for this new measure whose conception started with Commissioners David Byrne (Health and Consumer safety) and Franz Fischler (Agriculture) will be debated by the Standing Veterinary Committee this Wednesday 15 November, then by the Agriculture Council on 20 November. In fact the Commission wants to gather comments from the Member States before deliberating in a formal manner. This Wednesday's meeting in Paris between David Byrne, the French President Jacques Chirac and the Agriculture Minister Jean Glavany will enable the Commissioner to form an initial point of view. He wrote:
"Last Friday, David Byrne already, in a written statement, invited the Member States to give their citizens addition guarantees going well beyond their legal obligations. He said: "The detection by the French authorities of an increased incidence of BSE is clearly disturbing. France's improved surveillance measures have increased the number of cases detected. All Member States must learn from the French experience and also improve their surveillance measures for the detection of the disease. Random testing for BSE has proven its worth in this respect. Member States are already obliged by a European Commission decision to introduce random testing on targeted animals from 1 January 2001. I am now calling on Member States to carry out many more tests that legally required, with a focus on categories of animal which might be most susceptible to risk of BSE.
It must be emphasised that such tests cannot serve as a substitute for the strict Community controls to prevent the risk of transmission of BSE. Member States are again reminded of the absolute necessity for rigorous implementation of these controls, especially on the removal of specific risk materials, the processing of animal waste, the ban on the feeding of mammalian meat and bone meal to ruminants and the surveillance of animals for the presence of TSEs. Increased testing will, however, further improve transparency and public information on BSE. This is crucial to instil confidence that the controls in place are effective in protecting the public from the disease".