New call for German beef ban

28 June 2001



New call for German beef ban

By FWi staff

EXASPERATED farmers leaders have once again called for a ban of German beef after another consignment was found to contain banned spinal cord.

Spinal cord, which must be removed under BSE rules, was found in two forequarters in a consignment of 230 being unpacked at ADM in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

This discovery on Monday (25 June) is the latest case of banned specified risk materials (SRM) being found in imports from Germany, Holland and Denmark.

And it is the second time in four months the company responsible, Gausepohl Fleisch GmbH, Bakum, has sent beef containing spinal cord to Britain.

National Farmers Union president Ben Gill said the latest breach raised fresh doubts about control enforcement in Germany.

“It seems this country is incapable of exporting beef to the standards required,” said Mr Gill.

“We have been calling for this ban for the last four months and in that time several more contaminated consignments have been discovered.

“Worse still, this is the second time beef with spinal cord attached has
come from this particular abattoir.”

“With yet another incident, the European Commission must act on our call for
an export ban to protect our customers for the failings of others,” said Mr Gill.

British food safety watchdog the Food Standards Agency believes that there is a good case for shutting the plant.

FSA deputy chair Suzi Leather has written urging EU Commissioner David Byrne to ask German authorities to investigate the breaches.

These “seem to justify suspension of the plants licence until any systematic deficiencies in control have been rectified”, wrote Ms Leather.

One quarter of a consignment of beef Gausepohl Fleisch GmbH sent to Britain in February was found to contain spinal cord.

Two German plants had their export licences revoked in March after spinal cord was discovered in exports.

SRMs are most likely to contain BSE infectivity and under European law must be removed immediately after slaughter, stained, and disposed of safely.

• Brussels acts on German abattoirs, FWi, 07 March, 2001
• Act on Germans or ban exports, FWi, 02 March, 2001
• FSA in attack on Germany, FWi, 2 February, 2001