Europaweite Videoüberwachung an Schlachthöfen und Dokumentation

Gesendet: Freitag, 03. Januar 2014 um 20:59 Uhr
Von: MARK
Betreff: For Info only - Fw: Labelling of meat and poultry products
Subject: Re: Labelling of meat and poultry products

Thank for taking the time to write to Ms. Honeyball about labelling the method of slaughter of meat. Ms. Honeyball has kindly asked me to respond on her behalf.
Firstly to clarify, the current situation under EU law is that all meat should be stunned before slaughter, but EU countries can allow special provisions for religious groups. In the UK this derogation is mainly used for Shechita slaughter, and for a small minority of Halal slaughter.
However, there are reports that some slaughterhouses across Europe use the derogation as a way of avoiding the extra regulation, even though they are producing meat for general consumption. Furthermore the hindquarters of Shechita meat cannot be eaten by the religious community unless they are stripped of all veins, fat and sinew. Because this is difficult and
expensive, the hindquarters of the meat are often put on the market for general consumption. In both cases consumers have no way of knowing whether the animal was stunned or not before slaughter. Furthermore, Labour MEPs strongly support transparent food labelling to
enable consumers to make informed choices. During negotiations on the Food Information Regulation in 2011, Labour MEPs supported labelling whether meat is pre-stunned before slaughter or not, and got the support of the Parliament as a whole for these amendments. However, the UK and other EU governments blocked these plans, not wanting to address the
issue. Lastly, Ms. Honeyball's colleague Glenis Willmott, Leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party, led the negotiations for the Socialist and Democrats group, and fought hard for this labelling. She ensured that the issue of unstunned meat would be returned to and addressed by the European Commission under animal welfare legislation.
Since then Labour MEPs have been urging the Commission to come forward with proposals as soon as possible, which the Commission had promised to do by the end of this year.
Labour MEPs, have submitted Parliamentary questions on this matter. Once we have proposals on the table, Labour MEPs will call for all meat to be labelled with whether it was stunned or not before slaughter.
Thank you again for contacting Ms. Honeyball. You can also find out more about Ms. Honeyball's work on her website, including her Annual Report.
http://thehoneyballbuzz.com/annual-report-2012/

Yours sincerely,
Heath Woodward
Assistant
Mary Honeyball MEP
4G Shirland Mews
London
W9 3DY
Tel: 020 89649815
Web: www.maryhoneyball.net
Twitter @maryhoneyball