WRITTEN QUESTION E-0960/97 by Monica Baldi (UPE) to the Commission (13 March 1997)

Subject: Treatment of meat with chemicals

Lean meat, as a quality product, is a myth which has not been scientifically proven and can only be obtained by means of chemical treatment based on beta-agonists (drugs commonly used to treat asthma) which can endanger the health of the consumer because they cause heart trouble and nervous complaints.

Information today is targeted to the selection of products which are fat-free, tasty, easy to digest, easy to cook and available at competitive prices.

The fact that the market is geared chiefly to the consumption of lean meat is probably one of the causes of the many cases of large-scale chemical poisoning in certain EU countries.

Does the Commission intend to:

1. develop information channels for educating the public in food safety, with the aim of safeguarding public health as an inviolable citizen's right and the duty of the authorities, while continuing to give priority, where funding is insufficient, to informing women, who are traditionally responsible, in society, for choosing food products?

2. promote the provision of up-to-date information for health professionals on how to diagnose and treat the clinical effects of consuming meat treated with these drugs?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (3 July 1997)

The quality of meat depends upon many factors, including the breed of animal, methods of rearing and feeding animals and the age of the animal at the time of slaughter. It is feasible to obtain lean meat without recourse to growth promotion substances.

Meat forms an important part of a nutritionally well balanced diet, but the excessive consumption of animal fats may have harmful consequences for health.

In accordance with current Community legislation, the use of beta-agonists for growth promotion purposes is prohibited. The Commission is aware of intoxication resulting from the excessive and illegal use of beta-agonists. The Commission deplores such practices on the part of some producers. The Commission has consistently made maximum use of all the legal powers available to it to ensure that the illegal use of growth promotion agents is stamped out, and it will continue to do so.

There is no evidence to suggest that the consumption of lean meat, produced in accordance with the legislation in force, has led to cases of food poisoning.

1. In February 1997, the Commission reorganised its departments with the aim of improving the protection of human health, particularly in connection with foodstuffs. Better dissemination of information is one of the principles adopted with a view to achieving this objective. Information for the purposes of education in food safety is one aspect of the measures to be taken in this context, first of all at the levels closest to the citizen, but also at Community level. The question of giving priority to informing women depends on the communication strategies adopted - which hinge on the type of information to be disseminated. It is also important to avoid stereotyping in a manner likely to be perceived as discriminatory against women.

2. The new provisions of Council Directive 96/22/EC ((OJ L 125, 23.5.1996. )) banning the use of beta-agonists in stockfarming should lead veterinary practitioners and inspectors working on agricultural holdings and in slaughterhouses to increase their vigilance with regard to the illegal use of these substances. In addition, the Community Reference Laboratory (BGVV-Berlin, Germany) is providing the national reference laboratories with further training in the detection of residues in products of animal origin. The aim is to improve the efficiency of analysis performed by these laboratories so as to make the national residue monitoring plans fully effective in detecting these substances.

However, it is necessary to emphasise that the training of health professionals in the diagnosis of clinical symptoms of poisoning due to consumption of meat treated with beta-agonists is a matter for the Member States. The Commission, in the more general context of acute human poisoning, has promoted cooperation between the Member States pursuant to Council Resolution of 3 December 1990 on improving the prevention and treatment of acute human poisoning ((OJ C 329, 31.12.1990. )), which may be of assistance to the Member States with respect to the aforementioned diagnosis.