Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-11-Speech-2-291"
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"en.20000411.11.2-291"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, fourteen years after BSE first appeared, we have finally got around to doing something about labelling meat in order to protect consumers and ensure traceability.
This protection is undoubtedly belated in principle but, above all, illusory in practice. Firstly, in the draft regulation, 50% of European meat is effectively exempt from compulsory labelling if it is minced or cut. For the remaining 50%, labelling is not compulsory until 2003, which means that we have three years to dispose of British surplus stocks. And after 2003, the designation of origin may be limited to a simple indication of ‘EC origin’ with no mention of the country. What is more, to bury the prion under even more details, the label is laden down with indications of: the place where the animal was born, fattened, slaughtered and boned, with the Member State of origin, the region of origin, the farm of origin, a total of twelve items, plus the price and the weight, making a total of fourteen items, which is simply too much to read and take in.
So, Mr Papayannakis is improving the system, the deadline for compulsory labelling has been brought forward from 2003 to 2001, since 2000 is out of the question; labelling is to be simplified, the national labelling systems mandatory in France, Belgium and Finland are to be retained. This is a good move. The amendments will be adopted. The unwillingness of the Commission is, however, with apologies to the Commissioner, apparent to everyone. As a solution, labelling is a good idea only at first sight. Labelling is no safeguard against GMOs, chocolate containing vegetable fats or, tomorrow, GMO fats, or, at a later date, American hormone-treated beef, or prion-infected meat.
The only effective protection would be checks, and this requires States and frontiers. We have, however, eliminated frontiers, and this is the price we have to pay for Europe: freedom of movement at the expense of safety. I just hope, ladies and gentlemen, that no one will have to be punished in future. Previously one could be punished at the stake, now punishment would mean a steak, a British beefsteak."@en1
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