April 9, 2008

EU warns against chemically-treated US poultry imports

EU poultry producers and their cooperatives at COPA-COGECA warned that the authorisation of anti-microbial agents could hurt their efforts in producing high-quality poultry meat.
 

The EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently released their evaluation of bacterium rate of tolerance to four antimicrobial substances that are used in the US. Such substances are currently not allowed in the EU, but it could be authorised if scientific research shows that usage of such substances, when within proposed conditions of use, do not cause increased bacterial tolerance and resistance to such anti-microbial agents.

Pekka Pesonen, secretary general of COPA-COGECA, flat out rejected the idea of legalising the substances, saying they will not accept lower standards meat and that they will not allow chemically-treated meat to be sold to consumers while there are still uncertainties over the possible occurrence of reduced susceptibility to biocides and resistance to antibiotics.

EU poultry producers comply with demanding and costly regulations in order to control salmonella while the US reduces salmonella count by treating poultry meat with anti-microbial substances in slaughterhouses. Such poultry meat has been banned from the EU, but US producers have been calling for the EU to authorise the practise of using anti-microbial agents so that the ban could be lifted.

The EU Commission should be consistent in its support for the European poultry meat production method, and not to allow meat into the EU that does not comply with the same standards that EU producers are expected to comply with, said Pesonen.