EC: BSE test not a safety measure

7 December 2000



EC: BSE test not a safety measure

By FWi staff

THE EU Commission has admitted that the BSE test it hopes to introduce cannot guarantee the safety of Continental beef, reports The Independent.

A spokeswoman for food safety commissioner David Byrne admitted that a negative test did not mean beef from cattle over 30 months was safe to eat.

She said: “Weve never sold it as a safety measure. We sell it as a measure to enhance consumer confidence. A negative result does not mean beef is negative.

This admission follows criticism of the accuracy of the test, one of several measures put forward by the commission to eradicate BSE on the Continent.

• The Independent 07/12/2000 page 2