Animal protein feeding examined in Europe

Monday, October 3, 2011

The European Union (EU) is considering revising its ban on feeding animal byproducts to livestock and poultry. But don't expect to see ruminant byproducts being fed to cattle and sheep again, at least not for now.

The issue has come up for consideration because of concerns about how the world will feed itself. Vegetable-based protein meal that isn't fed to livestock can be used to feed people. Even the notoriously reactionary French are seriously considering it. France's National Food Council says the aquaculture industry may be the first to benefit from the lifting of the ban.

A working group established under the EU last year found that the health situation is now under control and the reasons behind the ban in the 1990s are outdated. The conservation of fishery resources is a top priority. The food council says it aims to study the issue "from other angles, including that of social responsibility."

In Britain, farmers aren't as enthusiastic, according to the online Independent News in England. A debate at an annual pig and poultry show revealed that many farmers were horrified by the proposal. The poultry industry is worried that its reputation will be sullied. Food industry consultants were quoted as saying that consumers wouldn't stomach the change.

The newspaper says far fewer people succumbed to variant Creutzfeldt- Jacob Disease than was initially feared – 171 in two decades with four remaining alive. BF