CNN - European Union accepts 'mad cow' disease as continental problem

European Union accepts 'mad cow' disease as continental problem

March 29, 1996
Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)

TURIN, Italy (CNN) -- European leaders opened a European Union summit Friday expecting to begin a process to change the union's founding treaty, but instead focused their attentions on the growing "mad cow" disease panic.

"It is not a British problem," said Italian Prime Minister Lamberto Dini at the conclusion of the meeting. "It is a European problem. There will be coordinated action, financial action, in order to solve the problem."

The scare was touched off March 20 when British officials acknowledged a possible connection between bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human equivalent, Creutzfeld- Jakob Disease (CJD).

British Prime Minister John Major came to the Turin summit to argue that the crisis had grown into a European problem as consumers across the continent avoid eating beef. (196K AIFF sound or 196K WAV sound)

"It's in the interests of Europe that we solve this problem," Major said. "Beef consumption is not only dropping in the United Kingdom, it has dropped quite dramatically in many other European countries."

While Major spoke with the EU leaders, British Agriculture Minister Douglas Hogg was meeting with the European Commission in Brussels on details of a proposal for dealing with the crisis.

Hogg also stressed that the panic was a European problem. But he said, "the most important thing is getting confidence in British beef, safe British beef, back."

EU agricultural ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Monday to consider the proposal. The measure is expected to involve as much as $250 million a year in EU contributions, and assumes some 700,000 cattle will be slaughtered.

Dozens of countries -- as well as the EU -- have banned import of beef from Britain. Thailand is the latest country to do so, announcing a ban on British milk and dairy products as well as beef.

On Thursday, Britain announced a $129 million plan to restore confidence in its beef industry, including stricter monitoring of cattle herds and restrictions on the sale of beef.

In related news, a union of British farmers called for urgent measures, including a mass incineration of contaminated cattle, to end the crisis. And the World Health Organization announced that it would convene an emergency meeting in Geneva next Tuesday and Wednesday to consider the crisis.

Related stories:

Scientists urge caution in 'mad cow' disease panic
Britain struggles to get past crisis of confidence in beef

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European Union accepts 'mad cow' disease as continental problem

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