Komorowski:
By : Juliet D. Golden
Poland's chief veterinary officer Andrzej Komorowski is at the forefront of the battle to prevent so-called mad cow disease, or BSE, from spreading to Poland. Komorowski also serves on a government team charged with preparing an action plan in case BSE is discovered here. A draft version of that plan, which is due to be completed this week, proposes setting up four regional laboratories capable of testing for the illness. At present, only one such lab is in operation.
The move comes as the agriculture sector is overhauled in preparation for the country's accession to the European Union (EU). Last year the government announced a zl. 4 billion ($975 million) plan to restructure meat production according to EU standards. The dairy industry has also made huge strides during the past two years as more than 19 dairies are now able to export to the EU. Last week, Komorowski spoke with the WBJ's Juliet D. Golden about BSE and the remaking of this country's vast agriculture sector. The following is a translated and edited version of their conversation.
Q: Has the growing BSE crisis in the EU created new opportunities for the Polish meat industry, which to date has remained BSE-free?
A: That is a difficult question, but one that has to be answered in two parts: the first being an evaluation of the situation as it looks today, and the other on how it will look in the future. Today, Poland remains a low-risk country for two reasons. First of all, no cases of BSE have been found here. Secondly, cattle in Poland really haven't been fed with meat and bone meal in the past or present. The danger here really is limited to a group of about 25,000 cows imported for milk production, from countries where BSE has been found, mainly from Germany, Holland, Denmark and to some degree, France. So 25,000 cows compared to the 6 million that exist in Poland is not much. What's important is that each of these cows has an address and we know where they are. And as these animals' productive lives end, each of them is being tested for the presence of BSE.
Q: How long has that testing been going on?
A: About three months.
Q: How many have been tested since then?
A: We have tested about 200 from this group. But recently more than 500 cows have been tested altogether (as part of a program) to test domestic Polish animals suffering from neurological illness. Because BSE is a neurological illness, any animal with such an illness has to be tested for BSE. However, that being said, my statement that Poland is a low-risk country, as far as the possibility of BSE is concerned, contains two elements: it's low, but there is still a risk. I cannot exclude the possibility that BSE will ever appear in Poland. Those 25,000 cows represent a certain risk.
Q: Germany is a case in point. A year ago the country was BSE-free. How has that event shaped your actions here?
A: First I will try to compare the situation in Poland to Germany. Germany had imported a large amount of meat and bone meal from Great Britain and Ireland. The same goes for France, even after bans were put in place. The EU, with its lack of internal borders, poses a certain risk as far as food safety is concerned given the uncontrolled flow of goods (between countries). Unlike countries where the flow of goods by definition is controlled by a system of borders, (in the EU) the flow is controlled by certification institutions, which confirm quality. If all players in such a system behave ethically and honestly, there is no problem. But life shows that this is not always the case.
Q: Does Poland have a plan ready in the event that BSE is discovered here?
A: That plan is being worked on as we speak and (is expected to be) completed by the end of January. Then the plan will have to be presented (to the government) and accepted. Of course, there are costs involved, not only related to setting up the new test laboratories, but also costs involved with losses incurred by owners of animals in Poland. Here, we don't have many cattle specially intended for meat production. We export about 500,000 cows a year, mainly to Italy and Middle-Eastern countries. If BSE were discovered here, of course that would mean that the good reputation we have now would worsen significantly. And we would have to prove that Polish meat is healthy. That would mean that the monitoring system in place now would have to be replaced. Today we are testing all imported animals and all animals with neurological illnesses. Also, certain domestic breeds are being tested, probably several thousand of them. That plan would have to replaced by another one. The group of domestically bred animals tested would have to be expanded to include all animals that are more than 30 months old. That increase means that we would go from testing 15,000-16,000 animals a year to 500,000 if BSE were discovered. Today we have money for plan A. For plan B, the government would have to have money ready.
Q: How much money would be necessary for plan B?
A: That's what's being decided right now and the 'i' hasn't been dotted yet. We're arguing over every detail.
Q: Can you give a ballpark figure?
A: It will probably be tens of millions of zloty.
Q: And plan A?
A: The jump is from zl. 2 million ($487,000) to the tens of millions.
Q: But Poland is reshaping its agriculture sector in the image of the EU's. Shouldn't Poland be mapping out a new path for itself, an alternative 'third road?'
A: In my estimation, politicians, farmers and activists who are responsible for the choice of that path are faced with a serious dilemma. We can no longer take the road traveled by the EU.
Q: But since the government has announced a zl. 4 billion restructuring plan for that sector, which is to model it along the lines of the EU's meat industry, doesn't that mean that the path for Polish agriculture has already been chosen?
A: That's right. The harmonization of law, the acceptance of programs such as breeding programs, have led us to a road that's very similar to the one that the EU is on. Sitting at this desk, I was able to influence two rapid decisions that were very costly to me: the decision to halt imports from countries during the dioxin crisis (when the Belgian food chain became contaminated in 1999) and now closing off imports from countries where BSE has been discovered. So in general, I was able to (protect) Poland from goods that were dangerous to us. But I am well aware that that is only a very small fragment. The Polish and EU systems to a very large degree are already integrated. Poland exports goods that have been produced according to EU practices. That's the way things are supposed to happen. On the other hand, a paradox is the enormous success Poland has had as far as the dairy sector is concerned. But success (in this sector) might be undermined by the fact that the cattle imported to improve output and genetics (in the Polish dairy herds) could ultimately mean that we become a country at risk to BSE. Someone before me, and before this government, made decisions that our breeding systems would be similar to European systems. However, now I hear (German) Chancellor (Gerhard) Schroeder say that greater emphasis has to be placed on organic farming. For me that is proof that those modern breeding systems have already received a no-confidence vote from the highest authorities in Germany.
Q: But Poland is only now passing a law on organic farming?
A: Right. Poland has ambitions not to be a parrot of other nations. A parrot is an animal that doesn't speak per se it's not creative but just repeats. In my opinion, Poland is wise enough, but it has to muster the courage and make a decision.
Q: Will it make that decision?
A: Politicians with the support of the academic community have to make that decision. The decision hasn't been made yet. Poland's agriculture minister said recently in Berlin that the development of organic farming in Poland is in the nation's interest. However, there is a long way between making such a statement and actually passing laws and coming up with financing. However, the faster it happens the better.
Dammond
