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The EU needs to drastically rethink its farm policy, and CEE countries could provide a model for more sensible methods By Alexander Juras While 2000-2001 was the worst period the European agricultural sector has seen in decades, the crisis may force fundamental, beneficial changes in the way Europe approaches food production, and these changes could come just in time for Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The crisis boiled over when consumers - who had grown accustomed to food scares ranging from E-coli, to dioxin, to illegal hormones and genetically modified food - were suddenly faced with a massive outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). This animal affliction, better known as mad cow disease, was reported in the United Kingdom as early as 1986. At first, politicians and agriculture lobbyists sought to convince the public - often against better knowledge - that the disease poses no danger to humans. This policy of ignorance apparently resulted in the infection of 180,000 cattle between 1986-2000. These cases were mainly confined to the UK, but most other West European countries were also affected. Meanwhile, it became obvious that humans who come in contact with BSE contaminated products can develop variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, a rare, fatal human neuro-degenerative condition. Between 1986-2000, 85 cases were reported in the UK, three in France and one in Ireland. As if BSE was not enough, this February, foot and mouth disease (FMD) hit Western Europe, again starting in the UK. To prevent spread of this disease, which affects animals but apparently not humans, the UK slaughtered 542,000 animals by March, according to Der Spiegel. As the disease spread, tens of thousands of hoofed animals were also slaughtered in France, Germany and the Netherlands. More than any food crisis in the past, the outbreaks of BSE and FMD have made consumers rethink consumption patterns and question the wisdom of those responsible for Europe's agricultural policy. Beef consumption is down by more than a quarter Europe-wide. Farmers are finding it hard to sell their animals and slaughterhouses are closing. Suddenly, even the European Union, once a staunch defender of modern agri-industry, was questioning its common agricultural policy. Indeed, FMD and BSE are not simply animal diseases. They are nature's response to Europe's farming policy, which is geared toward producing more cheaper. By this measure the policy succeeded: While in the 1950s the average German labourer worked an hour to buy an egg, today he can buy 150 eggs for what he earns in an hour. But this policy means that farming today is an industry, where animals are treated as products, instead of beings. Despite the warnings of environmentalists, scientists and consumer protection organisations, farms grew bigger. More animals were crammed together in narrow stables, fed with the remains of the their fellow animals, to meet consumer demand for low-cost food. Only a very small amount of food - just 10 percent in the best European countries - is produced by ecological agriculture. The spread of disease is supported by the European practice of transporting livestock widely. About 250 million cows, pigs, horses and sheep are transported in Europe yearly, some farther than 1,000 kilometres - and this often in unacceptable conditions. What we are facing now is a practical bankruptcy of decades of misguided European agricultural policy - a policy that could be introduced into CEE soon. Our region has not been significantly affected by BSE, though same cases are suspected and it may only be a matter of time before more are found. Albania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia are known to have imported significant amounts of cattle, meat and bonemeal from EU countries with BSE. The current crisis will cost the lives of millions of animals, billions of euros, and many jobs in the food and tourism industries. But - like every crisis - it also offers opportunities: the opportunity to rethink how we treat our fellow beings and the earth and the opportunity to rethink our agricultural practises. The momentum is right because, more than ever before, consumers, politicians, and even farmers, are ready for a new approach. This is also an opportunity for CEE. Overall, agriculture in most CEE countries is less intensive and more environmentally friendly. One characteristic of this is the large number of relatively small farms - something that would not exist in this form any more under EU agricultural policy. Without question, CEE agriculture will need modernisation. It is, however, obvious that it would be wrong to blindly copy the current EU methods. As a part of the accession process, the EU's common agricultural policy should be revised, taking into account the lessons learned. The policy should be friendlier to humans and the environment, and should seek to retain those good agricultural practices that still exist in CEE. |
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