Food safety fears over plans to feed pigs to chickens

Scientists are carrying out tests to determine whether pig meat could be fed to chickens
12 April 2012

Plans to allow the remains of animals to be reintroduced into farm feed for the first time since the BSE crisis are being drawn up by the EU.

Scientists have already begun a £1.15 million research project aimed at proving to the public that using the remains of pigs and chickens as fodder is safe.

A ban on the practice, brought in across Europe in 2000, followed fears that it was behind the spread of BSE.

Now scientists are carrying out tests to determine whether pig meat could be fed to chickens, and chicken meat to pigs, without posing any human health risks.

They hope to devise tests that can accurately identify different kinds of meat in feed, to ensure only certain animals are used.

A proposal to relax the animal feed ban was set out in the EU's long-term anti-BSE strategy, published nearly two years ago.

But although there are so far no firm plans to do so, members of the EU's advisory Economic and Social Committee are recommending speeding up a change of policy.

"The ESC suggests that the European Commission pursue and step up as swiftly as possible the studies currently under way which clearly show that the use of meat meal from nonruminants can be used in pig and poultry feed without posing any danger to human health", said a report of a committee meeting.

Farmers are concerned that the continued ban is unnecessarily inflating feed prices.

Carcasses which would otherwise be used as protein in animal feed must be thrown away, and the extra demand for vegetable protein since the ban has kept feed prices high.

The Economic and Social Committee, made up of representatives of employers' groups, trades unions and consumer organisations, has no legislative power, but routinely delivers opinions on proposed EU rules.

On this occasion, the committee is trying to push for an end to the ban by advocating that pig meat is safe to feed to chickens, and chicken meat to pigs.

However, experts warn the move could cause a consumer backlash.

"There needs to be a rigorous scientific assessment of any plans to reintroduce meat meal to pigs and chickens, which would have to be entirely independent of the EU," said Hugh Pennington, a bacteriologist at Aberdeen University.

"We will have to find out about the risks of inf luenza and salmonella being passed from pig to chicken, or vice versa.

"The biggest problem will be to win over public opinion," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "At present in EU legislation there is a total ban on processed animal proteins in farmed animal feed.

"But in the EU's Roadmap for tackling BSE, there is a proposal to relax this ban in the future."

What scientists are planning

What is being planned?

The EU wants to investigate reintroducing animal feed that contains the remains of other animals.

Why add animal remains to feed?

Remains are used to add protein cheaply and easily. Experts say reintroducing the practice could slash feed costs for farmers.

Why was the practice banned?

The use of dead, diseased cows was identified as the probable cause of the spread of BSE. As a result, Britain and Europe introduced regulations to control the use of animal remains in feed.

How will the EU stop a similar problem happening again?

Only certain animals would be used. Current plans are looking at whether pig meat could be fed to chickens, and chicken meat to pigs, which scientists believe is safe.

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