Brussels, 07/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Friday the European Commission authorised Germany to grant aid to compensate for BSE-related costs incurred by cattle farmers and abattoirs in Baden-Württemberg. Germany is planning three types of measures: * compensation for obligatory BSE tests on cattle more than 24 months old and fallen stock; * compensation for slaughterhouses with a positive BSE test. Compensation is restricted to a maximum of 50 head of cattle and slaughterhouses owning such animals will receive the actual value (based on weight and category of the animals concerned). Abattoirs will also be compensated for losses due to destroying meat of cattle that may have come into contact with BSE infected meat in the abattoir; * compensation for BSE affected farmers to compensate for the value of the destroyed herd and the lost income or additional costs during the period in which no cattle can be kept on the farm.
In actual fact, the Commission only approved the principle of state aid - it could not examine the amounts concerned since the budget will depend on the number of BSE cases detected and the finance coming from the EU budget only covers co-funding of BSE tests, explained a Commission spokesperson. The time limits for this aid are until the end of 2002 for BSE tests and compensation for BSE affected farms and until the end of 2001 for the measure pertaining to abattoirs. A further series of BSE-related state aid measures in Baden-Württemberg is still being examined by the Commission. The Commission authorised state aid measures in six Member States for an estimated total of EUR 418 million (see EUROPE of 26 July, p.9).