Ban on bone meal imports
By : Juliet D. Golden
Government officials last week stepped up their campaign to keep Poland free of so-called "mad cow" disease by announcing a total ban on the import of meat and bone meal (MBM).
The ban, which goes into effect at midnight tonight, was implemented to prevent MBM used in the production of farm animal feed in the European Union (EU) from being re-exported to Poland via third countries.
Poland already prohibits the import of beef and MBM from 11 EU countries where the disease, scientifically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been discovered.
However, as the BSE crisis in the EU deepens, Poland has moved to further clampdown on imports of products that heighten the risk of Polish herds becoming infected with the disease.
Animal feed made with MBM is widely considered by experts as the most likely cause of BSE in cattle. BSE has been linked to the human form of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which has led to the deaths of about 90 people in Britain, two in France and one in Ireland. Poland banned the use of MBM in feed for cattle two years ago. But the ban has not yet been extended to other farm animals, such as pigs and poultry, which are not considered at risk of contracting BSE.
Poland's sanitary inspection services last week announced they would tighten controls of wholesale and retail outlets selling products containing beef and its by-products. To date, following checks of roughly 40,000 retail and wholesale outlets carried out from November to the end of last month, sanitary inspectors have pulled more than 2,000 products from shelves.
In light of the latest clampdown, government officials last week moved to abate consumer panic by reinforcing that Poland remains a "low risk" country as far as BSE is concerned.
"Thank god nothing has been discovered in Poland in people or in animals," said Jacek Szymanderski, press spokesman for the Agriculture Ministry.
Ten days ago, Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek announced a bipartite action plan worked out by an inter-ministerial government team formed last year following the spread of the disease to countries previously considered BSE-free.
Under plan A, which will remain in effect as long as Poland remains BSE-free, veterinary inspectors will randomly test about 15,000 cattle sent to slaughter. In addition, since BSE is a neurological illness, all animals diagnosed with related disorders will be tested for the presence of the illness. Government officials estimate that the total number tested annually under this program will reach 18,000 and cost zł. 10 million ($2.43 million).
Plan B is a so-called "worst case scenario," drawn up in the event that BSE is discovered in Polish herds. Once put into motion, all cattle sent to slaughter will be tested for the presence of BSE. According to Szymanderski, plan B could cost as much as zł. 100 million ($24.3 million).
The blueprint for Plan B calls for adding four more laboratories in Poland equipped to test for BSE. At present, Poland has only one lab in Pulawy.
According to Jan Wyrowinski, a Freedom Union deputy from Torun who sits on the Sejm's agriculture committee, the government has proposed an amendment to this year's budget, which calls for setting aside zł. 2 million ($487 million) to cover the costs of these new labs.
While government officials repeat that Poland remains low risk, next month the EU commission is expected to issue its next geographical risk assessment report, which calculates the risk of BSE spreading to new countries. Poland and other candidate countries are expected to be included in the report. In assessing risk, the EU's scientific steering committee studies factors such as trade of MBM and live animal products. To date, similar EU reports have not included Poland.
In related news, in an almost unanimous vote last week the Sejm passed the long-awaited organic farming bill. About two years in the works, the bill will not only clearly define what products are considered organic, it will also set rules for monitoring and subsidizing organic farming schemes in Poland. In addition, many in the industry view the legislation as the first step in opening the way for Poland's organic food products to be exported to the EU on a large scale. The bill was passed in a 413-to-two vote, with seven abstentions. Before becoming law, the bill will have to be accepted in its present form by the Senate and then signed by President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
