Member states back food safety reforms

Date: 18/05/2000

By Simon Taylor

EU GOVERNMENTS will give their broad support next week to the menu of food safety reforms served up by Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne.

But they have yet to decide whether the planned new food safety authority should be given the final word on consumer protection issues by winning the power to overrule national agencies' opinions.

A report drawn up by the Portuguese presidency following talks between national officials underlines member states' enthusiasm for key elements of Byrne's plan for a radical shake-up of food safety rules, including the proposal to create an independent food safety agency (FSA) to assess risks and inform consumers about potential hazards.

The study, which will be discussed by internal market ministers at a meeting next Thursday (25 May), states that such a body would be an "important contribution towards ensuring a high level of consumer health protection and restoring consumer confidence".

Member states have already agreed that responsibility for passing new food legislation and ensuring rules are properly enforced should remain with the European Commission and national authorities. But they have not taken a final position on whether the FSA should have the right to overrule the findings of national agencies on food safety questions.

Giving the EU body pre-eminence in scientific matters would make it harder for countries to justify national consumer protection measures if the agency disagreed with governments' claims about possible risks, as in the case of France's decision to maintain its ban British beef. Paris has refused to lift the embargo even though EU scientists agreed unanimously last year that there was no risk from eating UK beef.

Spain and the Netherlands argue that the agency's opinions should be "binding" when the FSA and national authorities differ over an issue. But others insist the new body should be able to avoid such differences by working in close cooperation with national agencies.

The only areas where governments are firmly opposed to Byrne's proposals are his plan to give the new authority a role in deciding animal welfare standards and his request for the EU to join international food safety organisations.

Only France is supporting the bid to allow the FSA to make recommendations on animal welfare issues and all 15 member states have objected to Byrne's suggestion that the Union should be represented on bodies such as the United Nations' Codex Alimentarius in Geneva, which sets food-standard norms, and the Paris-based International Epizooties Office, which provides advice on controlling animal diseases.

The draft report to be discussed next week states that the Union's current representation on these organisations is "satisfactory" and argues it would be "premature" for the EU to join them.

It also remains unclear whether governments will accept Byrne's plan to put the FSA in charge of the Union's rapid alert system, which acts as an emergency hot line to inform other member states and consumers when there is a food scare in one EU country. France has objected to the move, arguing that this should remain the Commission's responsibility.

EU governments are to give their broad support to the menu of food safety reforms served up by Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne.