UK invites EU task force to tackle bovine TB
Posted, October 14, 2008 @ 16:00
Parish says UK must take action to prevent an export ban
Brussels, 14th October 2008 -- A European Commission task force on Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) - which has now been requested by the UK - is a welcome move for finally forcing the British government to stop dithering and start tackling the problem, Neil Parish MEP, Conservative Chairman of the European Parliament Agriculture Committee, said today.
The European commissioner for health, Androulla Vassiliou, confirmed the request had been made at a meeting with Mr Parish and representatives of the UK meat industry. She confirmed that the UK had given the commission a telephone invitation for their animal disease task force to visit the UK to investigate methods for eradication of the disease. She also confirmed that the UK has agreed to bring forward a plan by April on how the government intends to tackle the problem.
In the past few months Dutch and Belgian traders launched an unofficial boycott after 100 infected calves from Britain were found on six Dutch farms and in the UK over 30,000 cattle being slaughtered a year in the UK as a result of being infected with the disease. If the disease is not adequately controlled, the cost to the taxpayer is predicted to reach £300 million by 2012.
Speaking after the meeting Mr Parish said:
"The British government's dithering over how to control bovine TB has unfortunately made EU intervention necessary.
"British farmers do not want to take matters into their own hands, nor do they want bureaucrats in Brussels to intervene, but if the government is not prepared to take the difficult decisions needed to ensure that the disease is properly eradicated, they risk both things happening.
"I very much hope that the government does finally take charge of the situation and the fact that they have approached the commission does suggest that finally they may start taking this devastating disease seriously."