Press Release: European Commission decides new measures on BSE: Exceptional events call for an exceptional response

On 29.11.00, the European Commission agreed several new proposals to respond to the BSE crisis from Franz Fischler, Commissioner for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development and David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection. These proposals will go forward to the specially convened Agriculture Council to be held on 4 December 2000. The proposals include: a temporary ban on the feeding of meat and bone meal (MBM) to all farm animals;
a requirement that all animals over 30 months are tested for BSE to enhance consumer confidence; a requirement that the current list of specified risk materials (SRMs), which must be removed and destroyed, should now also include the entire intestine of bovines of all ages; a 'purchase for destruction' scheme to remove from the food chain all cattle aged over 30 months unless they have been tested for BSE to ensure additional guarantees and to rebalance the beef market; a flexible handling of public intervention to address the current drop in producer prices; raise the advances paid for the beef premia from currently 60% to 80%, in order to take the financial pressure from beef producers. The European Commission also formally adopted a proposal to require the testing of all 'at risk' animals from 1 January 2001. This requirement will be extended to all animals aged over 30 months from 1 July 2001.

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