France bows to EU pressure over bone meal

By FWi staff

FRANCE has finally agreed to comply with EU rules aimed at preventing the spread of mad cow disease by processing meat and bone meal at higher temperatures.

The EU directive which laid down the rules came into force last April. But, until now, the French government had argued that it was unnecessary.

French Farm Minister Louis Le Pensec said that existing sub-standard stocks of up to 200,000 tonnes of meat and bone meal will be destroyed at a cost of FF400,000 (£40,322).

Most French processing companies will adopt the EU rules before the end of June, he added.