ZAGREB, Feb 20 (Hina) - An expert body for monitoring bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE has recommended to Croatian Agriculture Minister to allow, under certain conditions, the import of beef from European Union members in which
the incidence of the so-called mad cow disease is the lowest.
-Politika
ZAGREB, Feb 20 (Hina) - An expert body for monitoring bovine spongiform
encephalopathy or BSE has recommended to Croatian Agriculture Minister
to allow, under certain conditions, the import of beef from European
Union members in which the incidence of the so-called mad cow disease
is the lowest.#L#
The chairman of the 15-member expert council, Davorin Lukman, told
Hina on Friday that the recommendations could be made by this body but
it was now up to the competent minister to make decisions on the
matter.
Lukman went on to say that one of conditions was that regular review
of the incidence of the diseases had been made in the last seven
years.
The other condition is that the monitoring and controls are carried
out in the same manner as in Croatia.
The possibly imported beef could be of cattle that has calved since 31
December 2001, when in all EU member-states instructions on ban on
bone meal were in force.
The fourth condition is that no case of the mad cow disease has
occurred for two years.
According to Lukman, all the four conditions are met by Finland and
Austria.
Agriculture Minister Petar Cobankovic, who is to make the decision,
will on Monday travel to Brussels to meet Franz Fishler, the European
Commissioner for Agriculture. This is the first meeting on this level
between Croatia and the European Commission in the agricultural sector
since the establishment of the new Croatian government.
(Hina) ms