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EU Lawmakers Call for Scrutiny of Food Aid Policy
European Union (EU) lawmakers called Thursday for responsible attitude of EU countries toward food aid policy as the mad cow disease is disturbing Europe and the rest of the world.
In a letter to the EU's executive body, the European Commission, Socialist members of the European Parliament's Development Committee asked the 15-nation bloc to take urgent action regarding media reports that European beef, taken out of the EU market because of the mad cow crisis, will be exported to developing countries as food aid.
They expressed their "deep concern" and would like to ask the commission for precise clarification of its food aid policies, as it is a standing decision of EU policy toward poorer countries not to export domestic problems, according to a press release of the Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists.
"Food aid should be based on the purchase of food in the region concerned. The intervention of surplus European food ... should only be agreed to if no food can be purchased locally. Even then such intervention would need to be highly regulated," the lawmakers said.
"The misuse of food aid to solve European problems is to be strongly condemned," they said.
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