The same rigorous controls that are applied to British beef will now be put in place across Europe. All SBM will have to be removed from beef and beef products before it can be sold for human consumption. It will be illegal for retailers to sell meat or meat products containing SBM material.
Dr Cunningham said:
"I am extremely pleased that European consumers will now benefit from the same rigorous controls that are applied to British beef. Britain pressed for these controls to be put in place night across Europe following advice from independent scientists on the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC). The number of clinically suspect cases of BSE reported in Great Britain has continued to fall showing that the measures we have put in place are having a dramatic effect. We will carry on enforcing the stringent controls we have put in place, aiming to eradicate the disease from British herds entirely."