Deal reached by Presidency will boost protection of human and animal health

Rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption will soon be more precise and up-to-date in the whole of the EU. 

This will enhance the protection of people and animals against dangerous diseases, such as swine and bird flu, mad cow disease (BSE), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and foot and mouth disease, as well as substances such as dioxins.

This will be thanks to an agreement between EU Member States and the European Parliament on a new regulation on animal by-products, brokered by the Czech Presidency. The Czechs finalised negotiations started under the French Presidency. MEPs approved the regulation by a plenary vote on Friday 24 April and the Member States will formally adopt it at a following Council meeting. “The new rules will increase the protection of human and animal health, and at the same time strengthen the internal market. Risks associated with a number of diseases and dangerous substances disrupted its functioning on several occasions in the past”, said Deputy Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the EU Jana Reinišová, head of the team which has reached the agreement between the EU bodies. “At the same time, it is an example of effective cooperation between the Czech and French Presidencies”, added Jana Reinišová. 

Animal by-products include, for instance, bones and skin as well as animal carcasses and catering waste. They are divided into three categories, depending on the level of their risk to human health. The first category of extremely dangerous products comprises, for example, the brains and spinal cords from sheep and cows, through which BSE may be transmitted, or catering waste from meals for airplane passengers on intercontinental flights. The second category includes, for example, manure, the contents of the digestive tract or dead animal embryos. The third category, the least dangerous one, includes animal by-products that can be used to make pet food or cosmetics

The rules for handling animal by-products are contained in legislation dating from 2002, which, however, has already become outdated. The agreed revision takes into consideration new technologies, knowledge of dangerous diseases as well as the needs of citizens and companies. Modern technologies enable, for example, the usage of animal fat in energy generation. These is also a possibility of composting or the manufacture of biofuel. The new regulation will limit the risks that these kinds of processing may mean for human and animal health. It also makes more precise the ban on feeding livestock with meat and bone meal produced from the same animal species. It is precisely these practices that are seen as one of the reasons for the spread of BSE. On the other hand, the proposal also benefits biodiversity protection by taking into account feeding habits of endangered species such as vultures or bears.

In keeping with the priorities of the Czech EU Presidency, the new regulation cuts red tape as well as costs. It also contributes to the development of the internal market by enhancing cooperation of authorities in the Member States and by increasing the efficiency of authorisation procedures for international trade in such products.