Brussels, 04/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 1 March, the European Commission decided to organise brainstorming of consumers on the internet, asking them for their ideas about veal meat. The results could help harmonise a European definition of what constitutes veal, long requested by France and Italy, and more recently in negotiations over improvements to beef labelling (see EUROPE of 17 June 2004).
In the EU, production and consumption of veal is low apart from in a handful of Member States. Three countries alone account for 75% of EU consumption of veal (although it is produced in and eaten in virtually all Member States).
In 2002, the EU produced 764,000 tonnes of veal, 248,000 tonnes of it in France, 177,000 tonnes in the Netherlands, 153,000 tonnes in Italy, 51,000 tonnes in Belgium, 41,000 tonnes in Germany, 35,000 tonnes in Spain and 23,000 tonnes in Portugal.
The meat sold in EU markets described as 'veal' is produced differently in the different Member States. In France and Italy, a veal calf is a young bovine fed by its mother for six months, while in the Netherlands, a country where veal is produced but not eaten, it is an animal fed on milk powder for nine months.
In other countries, the older the animal, the less it eats dairy products (replaced by fibre and cereals which boost the animal's weight). In some cases, milk is completely eliminated.
Since a number of Member States have asked it to harmonise the definition of veal at EU level, the Commission wants to consult European consumers on the issue. (The questionnaire can be accessed at http://www.europa.eu.int/yourvoice/consultations/index_fr.htm ).