Germany proposes tighter BSE tests

A German agriculture minister examines carcasses

Germany's health and agriculture ministers have proposed new measures in response to a recent BSE scare.

Health Minister Andrea Fischer and Agriculture Minister Karl-Heinz Funke announced the proposals at a parliamentary committee meeting, where they faced tough questions about their handling of the BSE crisis.

Ms Fisher proposed a reduction in the age at which German cattle are screened for the disease, which is linked to the fatal Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in humans.

Mr Funke put forward a plan to tighten food safety inspections.

Infected animals are being destroyed throughout Europe

In the all-day emergency meeting, the ministers were asked to respond to allegations that they knew almost a year ago that German beef was not as safe as the public thought.

Spreading blame

But reports from the meeting say both ministers stopped short of assuming responsibility for the crisis, which broke last November when the first case of BSE was discovered in a German-born animal.

Both ministers have previously admitted making mistakes in their handling of the crisis

But on Friday they attempted to share the blame with the authorities in Germany's various federal states.

The meeting came shortly after Australia and New Zealand announced they were suspending the import of all European beef products because of mad cow disease.

Andrea Fischer only eats organic beef

Ms Fischer suggested that all slaughtered cattle older than two years should now be tested for BSE.

At present, tests only apply to animals older than 30 months.

A case of BSE was recently found in a 28-month-old animal in Germany.

Mr Funke's proposals included

• calls for an EU-wide ban animal feed that contains animal products
• tougher food safety inspections
• funds for food safety research
• and legislation promoting organic cattle rearing

Mr Funke has been under pressure from some quarters to resign.

He is accused of ignoring an EU warning last March that mad cow disease was likely to reach Germany.

No beef: A Duesseldorf butcher reassures customers

Consumer groups and media commentators are angry that he and his officials continued to insist that German beef was safe until shortly before the first case was discovered.

Friday's meeting comes a day after two new suspected cases of BSE were reported at farms in the south German state of Bavaria.

The Bavarian Social Affairs Ministry said the affected farms had been closed.

Animal feed ban

Earlier this week, there were demonstrations in Bavaria by farmers angry at the government's handling of the emerging crisis.

The farmers' union, facing a slump in beef demand, wants legal action against the feed companies, which it blames for bringing BSE into the country.

Germany banned animal products from cattle feed seven years ago, but until last month it was still legal to feed meat and bone meal to pigs and poultry.

The German parliament introduced a total ban following suspicion that meat was also being fed to cattle.

Until late last year, German consumers were being assured that BSE did not affect German cattle. Our correspondent in Berlin says there is public anger that even some kinds of traditional sausage could be at risk.

A quarter of a million people work in Germany's beef industry.