October 10, 2013

The director of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), Stephen Rossides, underlines the need to fight opposition to European Commission (EC) proposals to modernise meat inspection systems due to continued pathogen contamination involving meat traded across Europe.

Rossides called on meat inspectors not to block future progress and said that the current meat inspection system is focused on old risks. "It is very rigid and specific."

He highlighted progress being promoted through the Commission reforms, which he said was "trying to move towards a more risk-based inspection system based on actual food hazards, using microbiological controls".

However, he added that meat inspectors are making all sorts of allegations, such as saying that the proposals will compromise food safety, but actually [for the meat inspectors] it's about jobs. He said that "while the direction of travel is the right one", there were a lot of concerns about what will happen. "There needs to be both improved legislation, and higher hygiene standards in plants," he said.

Rossides was speaking as the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) continues to outline a wide range of food safety threats involving meat. They include salmonella in meatballs from Sweden; salmonella enteritidis in frozen chicken fillet from Poland destined for France; excess doxycycline drug residue in Polish pork, distributed in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia; and E.coli in boneless beef from Argentina, which was spotted and seized at the Dutch border.

The importance of acting on the findings of the scientific opinions published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the need to update EU meat inspection was emphasised by Rossides.

Jean-Luc Mériaux, secretary general of the European Livestock & Meat Trading Union (UECBV), also stressed the importance of the EU programme. "Step by step, the current practices for the food business operators and the competent authorities are being adapted in order to tackle the more recent public health hazards, such as salmonella and campylobacter," he said.