Indifferent Britain exported MBM
Indifferent Britain exported MBM
BRITAIN has been accused of "cynicism" and "indifference" for continuing to export meat and bonemeal to Third Countries following the introduction of a domestic ban in the late 1980s.
A report, published by the French Senate in Paris, says this was one of the main reasons for the spread of BSE to France. It also blames the French government for reacting too slowly, feed manufacturers for taking part in the trade at all and the EU Commission for its inertia.
"After it was banned in Great Britain in 1988, the exportation of MBM was encouraged and France was the main destination," the report states. It estimates that of the 25,000t exported to the EU as a whole, France received 16,000t.
But MAFF says MBM was only banned in ruminant feed in 1988. "It was still possible to use it for other species until 1996. To have banned exports would have been inconsistent," it said. *