WO German cabinet ministers became the first senior political casualties of Europe's mad cow disease on Tuesday when they resigned over their handling of the scare that has veered between complacency and panic. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, battling to retain confidence in his government after the introduction of systematic testing last autumn revealed Germany's first cases of BSE, accepted their offers to go as a tide of criticism of official inaction swelled across Europe among consumers and beef producers alike. The news came as EU officials grappling with new measures to combat the spread of the brain-wasting illness said they had unearthed more cases than expected. Fischer, of the environmentalist Greens party, said she was resigning because the public had lost faith in her ministry.
Financial interests dominate and are put above consumer interests.
On top of that consumers are reluctant to pay the price for good food. Fischer has also faced questions on whether scientific warnings were acted on promptly after arriving and appeared indecisive on whether some German sausage was safe to eat. Funke had spoken up in defense of factory farming, putting himself publicly at odds with Schroeder. Officials say it is due to grain feed tainted with animal matter. EU experts said on Tuesday that testing was throwing up more cases than expected across the continent.