Brussels, 19/12/2008 (Agence Europe) - As expected, the Agriculture Council, with the exception of the United Kingdom which abstained, voted as one to reject the decision authorising, as part of EU health practices, the decontamination of poultry carcasses using a chlorine solution. This decision means that German Commissioner Günter Verheugen will not see realised his dream of lifting the embargo imposed by the EU on imports of chlorine-treated chicken from the United States.
“It's not protectionism, it's protection,” said French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier, who chairs Council meetings until the end of the year. “The Americans and Chinese will have to get used to Europeans saying, not that their model is the best, but that it is different, and that we want to maintain that difference,” he added.
The United States uses a radical method for killing bacteria, such as salmonella, in their poultry by dipping them in an anti-microbial chemical solution, containing largely chlorine. This practice is banned in the EU where veterinary scientists prefer preventive health checks throughout the food chain. Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said that she was not disappointed because she had been expecting ministers to come to this decision. “I hope that our American partners will respect the concerns and sensitivities” of European states on this issue, she added.
Agricultural product quality. The Council noted the first reactions of some ministers to the Green Paper on the quality of agricultural products. Some delegations, such as Italy on one side and Denmark on the other, took diametrically opposed views on geographical indications. The public consultation exercise launched by the Commission will close at the end of the year. The Czech Presidency is to hold a conference on quality policy in Prague on 12-13 March 2009. The Commission will bring forward a legislative proposal before summer.
Various. The Polish delegation once again raised the matter that is close to its heart of unused CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) money which could, it says, be used to fund measures to lessen the effects of the agrifood sector crisis and an active market management policy. Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel pointed out some of the terms of the inter-institutional agreement on budgetary discipline and good financial management, particularly with regard to reimbursing unused funding to member states.
The Council noted the solution to the issue created by increased control measures imposed by Greece on cereal imports from Romania and Bulgaria negotiated by the countries involved.
The Commission and Ireland informed ministers of the situation on the dioxin contamination crisis affecting Irish pig meat. Vassiliou said that the situation was under control: the recall of all pig meat produced after 1 September 2008 was the “appropriate approach” to ensure that food is safe and that, therefore, the European consumer was well protected. (L.C./transl.rt)