EU Considers Forming Food Safety Agency

August 18, 1999

European Union farm Commissioner Franz Fischler says the EU may need a new independent agency to regulate food safety policy. The recent dioxin crisis and recent reports that human sewage has been added to animal feed in France have shaken public confidence and focused attention on the need for a food safety agency, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The dioxin crisis in Belgium, where livestock were fed contaminated feed, was considered one of the worst food scares in recent memory. Thousands of farms may have used animal feed tainted with the cancer-causing chemical. Countries worldwide blocked Belgian food product imports because of the contaminated meat.

Now, EU veterinarians have turned their attention to France where media reports of human sewage being added to animal feed have shaken public confidence again. The French government has denied the claims, but on Monday, the European commission said it was sending an inspection team to check on health controls.