Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-05-Speech-4-047"
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"en.20030605.2.4-047"2
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"Mr President, this report has been somewhat controversial and the many amendments show that it remains so today. Food safety is a key priority for consumers and this regulation will lay down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption.
Food scares are only too familiar to European Union consumers. Just a few weeks ago the BBC TV programme
exposed a scandal connected with poultry. It found that chickens for human consumption have been injected with beef and pork protein. The programme revealed how processors were pumping chickens full of water in an effort to make them look bigger. There is still much to be done to protect consumer safety throughout the European Union and in the enlargement countries.
If we want proper European Union rules for the organisation of controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption, we need a directive which will promote consumer confidence and prevent scandals from happening. However, it is widely recognised that these controls are carried out differently in the different Member States. In some they are carried out by a veterinarian, in others by highly-skilled and qualified meat inspectors.
There is growing concern, of which the rapporteur is very much aware, that the independence of meat inspectors in the UK could be put on the line with this report. As their representatives have said, at the moment their independence gives them powers which they would not have if they were employed by the firm where they are working. For example, one meat inspector told me that she would stop a production line if a chicken head had not been cut off properly – something which should be welcomed given the importance of this House places on animal welfare. Similarly, if there is a problem with the quality of meat, the inspector has the power to stop that piece of meat moving from the production line to the supermarket. If the inspectors lost their independence and were employed by the firms in which they worked, food safety would go out of the window to increase profit.
This report should be welcomed; but we must recognise the difference between Member States in terms of controls and the importance in the UK of retaining the independence of the meat inspectorate."@en1
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