Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-12-13-Speech-3-369"
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"en.20001213.15.3-369"2
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"Mr President, adapted to every contingency, according to the circumstances and interests of the moment, the precautionary principle may be either the best of things or the worst of things. I also confess to not quite understanding why animal welfare should crop up in this report. What must at all costs be avoided is a situation in which the application of this principle curbs innovation and economic activity, creates undue caution and resistance to change on the part of industry and becomes a means of discouraging competition. This principle ought only to be applied if there is real risk. Only politicians should have recourse to it. It is therefore advisable to come up with a precise definition of the precautionary principle so as to prevent the usual wayward interpretations by the Court of Justice, to handle the principle judiciously and skilfully, to determine clearly the factors which bring it into play and, finally, to integrate it into the talks conducted within the WTO.
In view of the criteria used – proportionality, discrimination, coherence, examination of the advantages and disadvantages, and examination of the scientific assessment – the measures taken in accordance with the precautionary principle must be commensurate with the seriousness of the risk, unlike what happened in the case of the European Union’s measures to deal with mad cow disease. Similarly, in line with transparency, let us ensure that producers on a small or industrial scale have the right to express and defend their views by having their opinions and comments included in the assessment reports, in the same way as those of the scientists whose conclusions appear to have been brushed aside.
Finally, local produce ought not to have its authenticity sacrificed in the interests of safety at any price. If uniformly graded products make for greater food safety, diversity leads to uncertain quality and therefore to a degree of risk. By invoking this principle willy-nilly, there is a risk of ending up with products which are all produced in the same way and are so hygienic, odourless and tasteless as to be undifferentiated."@en1
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