- LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union's decision on Monday to lift the
ban on British beef exports was long-awaited news for farmers, but a bit
premature for some scientists. Although the EU decision only applies to
deboned beef from animals aged between six and 30 months, some researchers
who have followed the mad cow epidemic said there were no guarantees those
animals were not infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
They say dangers persist even though EU veterinary chiefs gave their scientific
backing earlier this month to the scheme for limited British exports. ``The
problem has always been -- we don't know which cows are infected and which
aren't. Although we carried out a good slaughter it would be very, very
difficult to say we've got all the infected ones,'' Stephen Dealler, a
microbiologist at Burnley general hospital in northern England, told Reuters.
The European Union imposed the ban after the British government admitted
a possible link between BSE and a new strain of its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease (CJD), more than two years ago. So far 30 people have died from
new variant CJD. Since March 1996 more than four million cattle have been
slaughtered under various programmes to ensure BSE infected cows are not
in the food chain. The number of cows infected with the fatal disorder
is decreasing rapidly and risks of contamination are low but Dealler, a
specialist in brain wasting diseases, said it would still be difficult
to know for certain that infected products were not being exported. Richard
Lacey, the man who blew the whistle on BSE and an outspoken critic of Britain's
handling of the crisis, believes lifting the ban is a mistake. He thinks
it should have continued indefinitely. The retired professor of microbiology
at Leeds University has called for random testing to make sure the disease
is wiped out completely, or if it isn't, to pinpoint where the infected
animals are in the British herd. ``I think the ban should stay until random
tests are done on slaughtered cows to find out what the actual prevalence
of BSE is,'' he told Reuters. ``If the disease takes about five years to
develop after it gets in the animal it's completely implausible that the
actual incidence can drop as quickly as they are claiming.'' Instead, the
controversial scientist believes farmers are under enormous pressure not
to report cases of BSE because the UK government has cut compensation levels
for sick animals. Professor John Pattison, the chairman of the UK committee
investigating the diseases, said the government had agreed to test for
subclinical cases of BSE, in which the cattle may be harbouring the disease
without showing symptoms. A spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food said the government and the European Union were investigating
ways of testing for subclinical BSE. ``We're already looking at that,''
he said, adding: ``There are cases of BSE out there but they are being
picked up.'' ``The precautionary measures put in place are pretty tight.
You cannot, in anything, say this is absolutely 100 percent safe but it
is as safe as we can possibly make it and all the checks are there,'' he
said. Although the ban has been lifted, meat from British herds will probably
not be on sale in Europe until next spring after European Union inspectors
have visited abattoirs and farms to check hygiene and safety measures.
-
-
- EU Clears British Beef For Export Again
By David Evans 11-23-98
-
- BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union farm
ministers on Monday cleared British beef for export again, more than two
years after sales abroad were banned over mad cow disease, wiping out $1
billion of sales overnight. ``It's clearly good news. We've been through
a terrible time,'' Britain's Farm Minister Nick Brown told a news conference
after the vote. ``We have satisfied our European partners on the basis
of science. We'll now have to rebuild those markets,'' he added. The crucial
backing from 10 of the EU's 15 farm ministers paves the way for the European
Commission to set a date for exports, although a final inspection visit
will now follow and the first shipments are still a few months away. Germany
maintained its vigorous opposition to any relaxation of the embargo, but
found itself isolated as the only member state to vote against.
-
- France, Spain, Austria and Luxembourg
abstained. German Agriculture Minister Karl-Heinz Funke reaffirmed his
intention to say no just ahead of the vote. ``Consumer protection must
take priority. If absolute security cannot be guaranteed, we must vote
against,'' he said. But the vote should close an at times bitter chapter
in relations between London and Brussels, which the actions of the former
Conservative government only made worse, Brown said. ``They behaved aggressively
and foolishly...we have sought to explain ourselves on the basis of science,''
he said. ``It's about treating each other fairly as Europeans...it's a
victory for the EU.'' The news was welcomed by British beef farmers who
have blamed the ban for devastating their industry and livelihoods. ``It
will be a huge psychological boost for farmers with the depression of recent
times turning into cheers of jubilation,'' said Ben Gill, President of
the National Farmers Union. ``We're now back in the fold doing something
we're very good at,'' he added.
-
- Under the scheme, beef will be allowed
for export as long as it fulfils strict criteria. It must be deboned and
come from cattle aged six to 30 months and born after August, 1, 1996.
According to the British farmers' union, the overseas market before the
ban for beef and cattle was worth more than 650 million pounds ($1.07 billion).
More than 270,000 tonnes of beef and veal was sold abroad in 1995. EU countries
such as France, the Netherlands, Italy and Ireland were the biggest customers.
Further afield, South Africa also imported significant quantities. Since
the ban was imposed in March 1996 after the government admitted a link
between eating infected beef and a new form of the human brain disorder
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (nvCJD), millions of cattle have been slaughtered
in Britain. The total cost of the crisis could top $6 billion, and it could
be another five years before all stocks of impounded meat and bonemeal
can be incinerated. Britain's tough new controls on meat processing have
done enough to win over sceptical scientists on the continent. EU veterinary
chiefs gave their key support earlier this month, with a slim majority
backing the plan.
-
- But farmers now face an uphill climb
if they are to persuade consumers to switch back to British beef, particularly
at a time when the EU is awash with excess meat. Trade with Russia, a key
beef export market destroyed by the recent economic turmoil, has left Europe's
unsold beef stocks topping half a million tonnes. Thirty people have already
died from nvCJD and no-one knows how many more victims there will be, given
the long incubation period. ($1-.6068 Pound) ((Brussels Newsroom +32 2
287 6834, fax +32 2 230 5573, brussels.newsroom+reuters.com))
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