The EU Commissioner with responsibility for food safety has warned that BSE remains a real danger to public health and urged all member-states including Ireland to follow the French decision to carry out random testing of cattle.
Mr David Byrne opened an Institute of Public Health seminar in Dublin yesterday where speakers advocated a public health policy for the island of Ireland and the EU, focusing on the socioeconomic factors which cause ill health.
In his address, the Commissioner said the BSE issue provided a concrete lesson on why regional and European co-operation was needed in key public health areas. In recent days there had been tremendous concern across the country about the evolution of BSE and there was real public health concern regarding the risk of variant CJD.
"Only the dangerously complacent or naive could assume that we can safely put the BSE crisis behind us. Once more, we are reminded that BSE is not a historic event but a real and present danger," Mr Byrne said. Clearly, these developments needed to be looked at and the appropriate lessons drawn, he added.
"First, the increased incidence of BSE in France is in large part due to the introduction of random testing by the French authorities. This follows from a Commission decision requiring all member-states to introduce such testing from January 1st next. All member-states should follow the French example."
Secondly, the necessity for the implementation of rigorous controls on BSE could not be overemphasised. "If these controls are respected and implemented the risk to the public is reduced to a minimum," he said.
Thirdly, there must be total transparency in the approach towards BSE. Reactions to BSE had been variously described as a psychosis, irrational or driven by panic, and the lack of clarity and transparency in addressing the issue had contributed hugely to this unfortunate situation.
Finally, the progress, particularly in the past year in putting in place a framework to tackle BSE, must not be overlooked. In the process, the task had also been begun of ensuring EU systems were in place to avoid similar tragedies in future, the foremost of which was the proposal adopted by the Commission last week establishing a European Food Authority.
This was a positive step forward in the protection of citizens' health and well-being, Mr Byrne said.
Dr Patrick Wall, chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, said protecting public health was an all-Ireland issue. What was needed was interface between all health agencies, but there was no infrastructure to draw them together in the North and South.
Dr Paul McKeown of the Eastern Regional Health Authority, said public health had been defined as what society did collectively to ensure the conditions in which people could be healthy. Health had been defined in the past in terms of disease but now included such things as stress, addiction, unemployment and nutrition, he said.
Dr Richard Alderslade of the World Health Organisation European Region, said new partnerships for health needed to be forged and new forms of network governance required development, if health for all the citizens of the European region was to be promoted and advanced.
Ms Karen Meehan from Derry Well Woman said lifestyle, socioeconomic and environmental factors determined well-being, but health-promotion initiatives in these areas might need to be broadened to promote health rather than just prevent disease.