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A ban on farm feed made of animal remains is to be lifted in the EU despite being outlawed in 1994 amid fears over the spread of a deadly virus. Following the EU’s persistent calls to adhere to a level playing field for standards throughout Brexit negotiations, Britons reacted with fury over the hypocrisy from Brussels. After being backed by member states, farmers will now be able to use cheap pig protein to be fed to chickens despite the fears of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or Mad Cow Disease.
Commenting on the story, Express.co.uk readers revealed their fury at the shameful move from the EU.
One reader insisted the UK should now ban EU imports amid the fears of cross-contaminated meat products.
One reader said: “The UK should ban the importation of EU meat products as unfit for human consumption.”
A second said: “Time to insist that EU imports meet our standards, and if, as in this case they don’t, then we don’t allow imports.”
A third said: “UK must ban all meat entering UK from EU that cannot verify its free of pig protein contamination.
“This must be done immediately.”
Another said: “Just to make sure I understand this, am I right in thinking that the EU are about to lower food standards in order to compete with foreign imports?
“And they have the brass neck to make a fuss about British sausages!”
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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs insisted the UK will continue to uphold high food standards despite the EU’s reversal of the ban.
They said: “The UK is committed to maintaining the highest animal welfare and biosecurity standards, and following our departure from the EU there is no legal obligation for us to implement any of these changes.
“As an independent trading nation, we have the option to review our own TSE legislation in the future and ensure that any changes made would maintain our high level of protection of human and animal health and food safety, on the basis of scientific evidence.”
The EU made the decision to uplift the ban amid fears of being undercut by rivals.
The decision comes in stark contrast to the EU’s insistence on a level-playing field throughout Brexit where Brussels insisted on strict alignment.
Within the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the EU and UK agreed to uphold ongoing UK–EU co-operation on animal welfare, antimicrobial resistance and sustainable food systems.
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