Gold-plating “causing confusion” in EU meat industry
Speaking at the World Meat Congress (WMC) in Paris, Jos Goebbels, from processing body the European Livestock and Meat Trading Union (UECBV), said the lack of joined-up thinking on animal welfare and legislation within the EU was causing difficulty.
“There’s no consistency with regulation on animal welfare in the EU and that causes confusion, as people do not know what’s going on. The EU rules also go beyond those of the OIE, which creates competitive issues for trading on global level.”
He said a lack of joined-up thinking was illustrated by EU rules on the height of lorries, limiting them to below 4m. This meant fewer animals in a vehicle, which meant increased journeys, and more vehicles on the road. This increased pollution and was not good for animal health.
He said that emotion also often seemed to over-rule scientific evidence on the welfare debate and called for legislation to be outcome-based and not just about the EU, but on a wider global basis.
