Trade in sick cows from Poland
29.1.2019
Question for written answer E-000466-19
to the Commission
Rule 130
Lampros Fountoulis (NI)
In Poland, in the Mazovia region, sick cows are being slaughtered without any — or with only minimal — veterinary inspections so that their meat can be sold by one of the EU's largest meat exporters. The sick animals are apparently slaughtered at night, without veterinarians even being present, which is another violation of the rules. The slaughterhouse workers remove any evidence that the cows were sick, such as sores from the endless hours they spent lying down due to their illness. In 2017, according to United Nations figures, Poland exported more than 415 million kilos of beef worth over USD US 1.5 billion. The United Kingdom was one of the countries that bought a large percentage of that meat.
Will the Commission say:
- 1.Has it been informed of this state of affairs by the Polish government?
- 2.What measures will it take to tighten health controls so as not to jeopardise the health of European citizens? If any of this meat has left Poland, a Europe-wide safety alert should be issued with the participation of many regulators and, possibly, police forces from across Europe.