- Title: BELGIUM: EU VETERINARIANS MEET TO DISCUSS BEEF BAN
- Date: 20th May 1996
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (MAY 20, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV EXT VENUE FOR MEETING/ SV EU FLAG (2 SHOTS) 0.07 2. SV BRITAIN'S CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER KEITH MELDRUM ARRIVING FOR START OF TALKS AND SAYING HE EXPECTS A POSITIVE VOTE (ENGLISH)/ REPORTERS (3 SHOTS) 1.03 3. SV EU VETERINARY OFFICIAL ARRIVING 1.10 4. SV SENIOR GERMAN VETERINARY OFFICER WERNER SWINGMANN SAYING HE HOPES THERE WILL BE NO CHANGE TODAY (I.E. THERE SHOULD BE NO LIFTING OF THE BAN ON BRITISH BEEF PRODUCTS) (ENGLISH) (2 SHOTS) 1.26 5. SV DUTCH SENIOR VETERINARY OFFICER VAN DER MEYS SPEAKING TO REPORTERS SAYING HE HOPES THE BAN WILL BE LIFTED (ENGLISH) 2.00 6. SV OFFICIALS ARRIVING FOR START OF MEETING (5 SHOTS) 2.32 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 4th June 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City:
- Country: Belgium
- Reuters ID: LVA4SKB7GCUZU697HJCOYFOSAVA3
- Story Text: INTRO: The European Union (EU) could take the first step towards easing the worldwide ban on British beef exports on Monday (May 20). EU Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler said he was optimistic that a proposal to allow sales of gelatine, tallow and semen would now be agreed after extra efforts by London to stamp out so-called mad cow disease.
European Union (EU) veterinary officers arrived at a meeting in Brussels on Monday (May 20) to continue their discussions on whether or not to the ban on exporting British beef products.
EU diplomats said extra British measures, including an extended slaughter programme, could help swing the vote.
Britain's Chief Veterinary Officer Keith Meldrum, arriving for the talks, said he was optimistic and expected a positive vote in favour of lifting the ban on some beef products.
Although Germany and Austria, under strong consumer pressure, remain staunchly opposed to an early easing, resistance from other member states appeared to be waning.
EU countries have been deeply sceptical about Britain's ability to trace and eliminate all animals at risk of the fatal cattle brain disorder, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
But France, the main importer of British beef as well as a major cattle exporter, could now help change the voting balance.
French President Jacques Chirac said during a state visit to Britain last week that the British government had taken the technical steps to warrant removing the ban on beef by-products.
Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Ireland also favour an easing and other countries were moving that way, officials said.
They noted that beef sales had collapsed across Europe and there was a common interest in defusing the crisis and restoring consumer confidence as soon as possible.
In response to EU criticism that it wasn't doing enough to eradicate BSE the British government has now said it is ready to double its selective slaughter scheme to 80,000 cattle.
A British agriculture ministry official has said that all cattle at risk to BSE through eating contaminated meat and bone meal, would now be slaughtered and not just those born in the three years after September 30, 1990.
Britain is due to present detailed plans to the EU's Standing Veterinary Committee, which last Wednesday suspended examination of a European Commission proposal to allow exports of certain beef by-products.
The EU's executive, acting on scientific advice from the World Health Organisation, believes that gelatine and tallow are safe provided that they are processed at high temperatures to kill all possible infection and clearly labelled.
The British beef export ban was imposed on March 27 to calm public fears after the British government admitted a likely link between BSE and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
Some 160,000 cases of BSE, or nearly all the reported outbreaks in the past 10 years, have been in Britain.
Britain says that the ban, which has crippled the 500 million pounds (750 million dollars) British beef export industry, has no scientific basis and is totally unjustified.
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