DATE=2/9/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-272375

TITLE=E-U / GERMANY / MAD COW (L-ONLY)

BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON

DATELINE=BRUSSELS

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The European Union has told Germany to tighten its controls over beef exports after spinal cord tissues were found in shipments of German beef in Britain and Ireland. VOA correspondent Roger Wilkison reports the E-U's executive commission has banned beef spinal cord from the food chain in the 15-nation bloc since last October.

TEXT: E-U law says the spinal cord of cattle has to be removed and destroyed at slaughterhouses throughout the union because it is a potential carrier of mad cow disease. E-U spokeswoman Beate Gminder says E-U food safety commissioner David Byrne has written German officials and informed them that they must toughen their export controls on meat.

/// GMINDER ACT ///

I can confirm Mr. Byrne has written to the German authorities. He has expressed his concern about the two findings of remains of spinal cord in the U-K in German beef, and one in Ireland as recently as this week. And he has asked German authorities to step up any efforts on their controls, controls for ensuring that legislation is respected which prohibits spinal cord in beef, because it's a specific risk material.

/// END ACT ///

The discovery of spinal-cord tissue prompted Britain's opposition Conservative Party to demand a ban on British imports of German beef. But British Agriculture Minister Nick Brown says any such move will be based on scientific evidence rather than political scare-mongering.

Germany was one of the last countries to remove a ban on British beef after a human variant of mad cow disease killed more than 80 people in Britain in the mid-1990s. The British food safety agency says it is checking all imports from Germany, which, until late last year, steadfastly denied that there was any incidence of mad cow disease among its herds.

Ms. Gminder says E-U food safety Commissioner Byrne has asked the Germans to strengthen their surveillance over beef production. But she says the E-U's executive commission has no plans for now to take further action, such as sanctions.

/// 2nd GMINDER ACT ///

Well, this would be a further step. But, at the moment, he has reminded the German authorities that there is a necessity to improve their surveillance and their controls even further. And there haven't been any discussions on sanctions yet.

/// END ACT ///

The E-U's veterinary committee this week approved a ban on the entire vertebral column of cattle in 10 out of the 15 E-U countries. That effectively bans the T-bone steak everywhere except Austria, Britain, Finland, Portugal and Sweden. (Signed)

NEB/RW/KL/TDW