MEP attacks Commission proposals on diseased fish
04 November 2008
Jim Allister MEP has hit out at new European proposals which could force fisherman to land diseased fish while dumping healthy ones at sea.
The proposals are contained in the new proposed Animal By-Products Regulation which proposes to bring diseased fish within its scope.
Commenting Jim Allister said, "I agree with Alyn Smyth, Scottish MEP and draftsman of the Agricultural Committee's response to the proposed regulation, that this is a wholly unnecessary extension of the Regulation. It would oblige skippers to bring suspected diseased fish back to shore for incineration as potentially hazardous waste. This would add further cost and practical burdens to the industry - as only approved incineration plants could be used, requiring additional transport - with no gain and the storage of diseased fish on board would leave vessels open to violation of food hygiene laws. Therein is far greater risk than the current practice of discarding diseased fish.
Moreover, it is pretty rich for the Commission to insist on landing diseased fish when their crazed policy on discards requires millions of tons of perfectly edible fish to be dumped over the side every year.
I trust that in both the Agriculture and Environment Committees of the European Parliament moves to eliminate the extension of the regulation to fish will be successful."
