Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-06-12-Speech-2-035"
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"en.20010612.3.2-035"2
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"Mr President, food from the European Union is among the safest in the world. However, as a result of recent food crises, the European consumer has lost faith in food. The key aim of setting up the European Food Authority is to regain that trust. In the Netherlands, roughly the same amount of meat is currently being consumed as in the period prior to the said crises, whilst Germany and France are still facing much lower levels of meat consumption. On the one hand, that illustrates that there is no such thing as a European consumer. On the other hand, we can conclude from this that the consumer’s trust is tied in more with national character than with the setting up of a European Food Authority. The fight over the location of the EFSA, which various Member States would like to host, makes me wonder whether this is primarily a matter of prestige. In this connection, I am not clear about the meaning of the criterion ‘tradition in food safety’.
There is the risk that the Food Authority might become a bribe to placate consumers, without offering any added scientific value for the national food safety authorities. That is why it is of great importance that a link be established between food production and food safety. As the problem lies with food production, that is where the solution should be found. The upshot will be that European agricultural policy will need a complete overhaul. An agricultural policy must be put in place which enables animal feed to be produced near the cattle reared for meat, so that animal feed and animals need not be transported over long distances. This also reduces the risk of infection. Such a policy ties in with the prevention principle and the proximity principle. Moreover, there is integration, since this policy also benefits the environment and animal welfare.
A related problem which merits our attention is the export of food whereby lower standards are applied than those in the European Union. In practice, countries outside the European Union often cannot afford the luxury of aiming for the safest food levels. Needless to say, we should not simply export food which does not meet our safety standards to those countries. However, exports of a kind which increase food safety in those countries should be permitted. It would, of course, be ideal if, in the European Union and in third countries alike, food were supplied from within the countries’ own territories. Only in cases where this is really impossible should additional trade take place.
In the outlined policy, there will be no need for the destruction of large batches since, without international transport, the risk of infection is much smaller. In this context, the use of the holding’s own animal feed within the holding can be permitted. After all, a ban would imply the destruction of large quantities of usable food, whilst the chances of lowering the risk are hardly an issue, if at all.
I agree with the proposal by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy that risk assessment is a task for the food authority. The political translation of risk assessment into risk management belongs with the European institutions. The Member States need to ensure that the rapid alert system is effective and that the European Commission is informed in good time. Under these conditions, there is no need for all Member States to be on the food authority’s Management Board.
Not only is a food authority being set up, extremely drastic measures are also being laid down in legislation. In my opinion, drafting new legislation is the wrong reaction to Member States’ not complying with existing legislation. For that reason, priority should be given to setting up independent inspectorates in the Member States which enforce the law locally. And on the basis of a reliable authority, all consumers can acquire confidence in European food."@en1
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