Memo: David Byrne calls on German authorities to withdraw products containing potentially dangerous materials from all EU and third country markets

On 22.12.00 David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, called on the Federal Republic to take immediate action to notify all other Member States of the measures which are being taken at national level. He made particular reference to the voluntary recall of food products produced before 1.10.00 containing mechanically recovered meat. 'I welcome these precautionary measures but I insist that they must apply also to all meat products and meat preparations exported to all other Member States and to third countries'.

The Commission also required confirmation that any meat products which are identified by the German authorities as potentially containing materials which are a risk to health are urgently withdrawn from circulation, not only in the Federal Republic but in export markets.