Britain only started incinerating the mountain of remains this year. It will take until 2004 to burn the backlog. The rest of the EU could pile up a similar mountain before testing is available. The European Commission will pay 70 per cent of the costs. But Europe is still searching for sufficient incinerators.
Most countries expect to use cement plants.
Countries that have not yet reported any cases of BSE want an exemption from the measures. They are thought to include Sweden, Finland and Austria. But scientists advising the Commission say privately that they want wide-ranging tests to determine the true incidence of BSE in all EU countries, before anyone is let off the hook. The second major measure adopted is a feed ban. It will be hard for farmers to replace MBM in feed, especially for pigs.