Maribor, 27/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 28 May, the European Commission is expected to adopt two proposals for EU authorisation of the technique for disinfecting chicken in a chlorine solution. Following intense discussions, the Commission's decision will therefore be to the liking of the US, which since 1997, has been unable to export its “bleached chickens” to the European Community because of the ban on this kind of disinfection technique.
The first proposal involves the use of certain antimicrobial substances to disinfect poultry carcasses. It has been put forward by Androulla Vassiliou, the European commissioner for health, and will be sent to the Standing Committee on Food and Animal Health. The second proposal (to the Council) amends the annex to the regulation on common market organisation in the agricultural sector and poultry meat trading standards.
Given the criticism from many EU member states, the Standing Committee is not expected to obtain qualified majority voting in support of the proposal authorising chlorine washed chickens. In this event, the Commission will have to present a proposal to the Council of Ministers of the EU, with the required opinion from the European Parliament. All this procedure risks wasting time because the Council will then have three months to give a ruling.
To find in favour of the US, while providing health guarantees to EU member states, Ms Vassiliou's proposal includes strict conditions for using chlorine when disinfecting chicken: only four substances will be authorised in disinfection baths (chlorine dioxide, acidified sodium chlorite, trisodium phosphate and peroxyacids; authorisation will only be valid for two years and will only apply to whole chickens that will then have to be rinsed well in drinking water; operators will be obliged to mention “decontaminated by chemicals” or “treated with antimicrobial substances” on the poultry meat packaging; the poultry industry will be required to prevent any environmental contamination or getting rid of any chlorine waste effluence (in this connection, new standards on waste water from industrial zones will be set out); the competent authorities will have to increase the number of inspections when these substances are authorised.
During the Agriculture Council on 19 May, 21 member states opposed the lifting of the ban, which has been in place since 1997 on imports of chlorine treated chicken (EUROPE 9664). Günter Verheugen, the commissioner for industry, announced on 13 May at the 2nd Transatlantic Economic Council that he intended to propose amendments to the Community regulation, which would allow for imports of poultry treated with pathogen reducing agents, as well as the use in member states of such treatments for chickens for consumption (EUROPE 9660).
BEUC, the European Consumers Organisation, as well as COPA COGECA (the voice of farmers and their cooperatives in the European Union) and the EEB (European Environmental Bureau) have sent a letter to European commissioners expressing their concern about the possible lifting of the ban on imports of US chickens treated with antimicrobial substances. They believe that European policy based on the principle of “prevention is better than cure” (namely, use of hygiene measures from the farmyard to the table) has already showed its worth and is more efficient for reducing contamination, particularly salmonella. The three organisations conclude that “US policy based on antimicrobial treatment (chlorine based) at the end of the food chain, is unacceptable while an efficient farmyard to the table approach exists”. (L.C.)