Strasbourg, 05/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - Presenting, on Thursday before the European Parliament, a European Commission declaration on recent contamination of the food chain within the EU, especially MPA (medroxy-progesterone acetate) contamination, Commissioner David Byrne acknowledged the fact that the legislation on waste had not been correctly applied and that controls on its implementation by Member States were neither sufficient nor effective. He proposed increasing sanctions and the level of fines and announced that the Commission was soon to present to Parliament a feasibility study on the positive list of food products that could be introduced into the food chain. A list fervently recommended by MEPs, who were also highly critical of the ineffectiveness of controls.
British Conservative John Bowis accused the Commission of having "turned a blind eye on several occasions" with regards application of the legislation. He asked the Commissioner what he planned to propose in order to improve the situation. German Social Democrat Dagmar Roth-Behrendt said that what is needed is a "more stringent system of authorisation and approval for industrialists creating products for animals … and there must be recourse to the Court of Justice and to sanctions for Member States that do not apply the legislation correctly". Dutch Liberal Jan Mulder called for a "quality label" to be set in place while, speaking for the GUE/NGL, German national Christel Fiebiger (PDS) called for a "sense of self-control within companies". In response to a number of MEPs concerning the role of the Food Authority, Commissioner Byrne declared that work is continuing for setting up the Food Authority but that funding is needed. The Parliament, which can make this funding available, should review its position on this point, he said.