EU FARM ministers this week agreed tough new measures to stamp out BSE in the Union’s cattle herds

Date: 07/12/00

At an emergency meeting, they approved a European Commission plan to ban mammalian meat and bonemeal from all animal feed for six months and to allow cattle over 30 months into the food chain only if they are certified BSE-free. "These measures establisha very important set of measures to regain and retain consumer confidence in beef," said Food Safety Commissioner David Byrne. Destroying stocks of unusable meat and bonemeal is expected to cost the EU €3 billion, with 70% of the bill being paid out of Union coffers.