The European Commission said today it wants to extend measures to fight mad cow disease in the EU until 2005.
The measures prohibit the addition of animal waste such as spinal chord to the food chain, but run out in June this year.
"The measures provide that EU member states and third countries exporting to the EU (except from countries where the BSE risk has been scientifically assessed as "highly unlikely") have to remove specified risk material from the food chain," the Commission added.
Certain slaughter methods and the use of ruminant bones for the production of mechanically recovered meat are also banned. There is also a prohibition on feeding animals with feed containing animal protein.
The Commission had to extend its transitional measures as permanent EU legislation is not yet in place. This is due to the fact that the BSE-risk ratings of countries are still being decided. All the high risk animal waste is supposed to be removed from animals in the abattoirs.
By introducing measures in 2001, the EU sought to limit the risk of BSE being spread among animals and passed onto humans as cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) were on the increase in European countries which had never previously registered the disease.
More than 100 people, mostly in Britain, have died or are believed to be suffering from the human form of mad cow disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), which is thought to be a result of eating contaminated meat products.
The Commission said restrictions on beef exports from Portugal and Britain would remain in place due to high incidences of BSE in their cattle populations.
AFP