§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what guarantees have been sought by his EU counterparts during the negotiations on matters relating to BSE to ensure that all beef carcase exports comply with BSE control regulations and are BSE-free following any raising of the EU ban on beef meat trading; [32323]
(2) what guarantees have been sought by his EU counterparts during the negotiations on matters relating to BSE that all live beef exports will comply with BSE control regulations and will be BSE-free following any raising of the European Union ban on beef meat trading. [32322]
§ Mrs. Browning[holding answer 17 June 1996]: Other member states agreed a framework for lifting the EU beef export ban unanimously at the Florence European Council. This included a commitment that the ban would be lifted:
only and exclusively on the basis of public health and objective scientific criteria and of the judgement of the Commission.We expect all other member states to honour this commitment.