Very few bothered to point out that it was the whole of the food industry that was to blame because its methods were based purely on the maximisation of profits. Nothing was done to get to the root cause of the problem. Nowadays the use of animal carcasses in the production of animal feed to boost its protein content is widely criticised, but it is not a new development. The meat industry has built its power and competitive edge by basing itself on an inexhaustible source of raw materials, the recycled waste of the slaughterhouses that is transformed into animal feed. Everyday millions of eggs are exported to the four corners of the world from Holland.
Dutch eggs sell all over the world because they are so cheap.
The British and the Dutch are not solely to blame for this situation. The finger should be pointed at the Common Agricultural Policy which has been developed by all the national governments of Europe. Decisions are taken by a unanimous agreement of all EU member states. The authorisation to continue using animal based feeds for pigs and chickens led to all kinds of possible effects. In fact, only a few months later, in 1997, the European Union had to order the destruction of millions of pigs due to the outbreak of an epidemic.