EUROPEAN farmers this week united behind IFA’s efforts to have Brazilian beef imports banned in the EU.

THE English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) has agreed with the country’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), that the zebu gene must no longer appear in any beef or beef products that carries the Quality Standard Mark.

IFA National Livestock chairman John Bryan accused the EU Commission (DG Sanco) of total irresponsibility by placing European food safety and animal health at an unacceptable risk with Brazilian beef imports.

THE European Union’s health chief proposed an EU-wide organ donor card yesterday after a survey showed most Europeans support using such cards but only 12% actually carry one.

THE Irish are Europe’s biggest binge drinkers and even increasing the price of alcohol by 25% would not make them drink less, claims an EU-wide survey.

Ireland and Russia today banned imports of British poultry and eggs, and farmers elsewhere in Europe took steps to shield their flocks from the possible spread of deadly bird flu from an infected British turkey farm.

Poultry farmers around Europe were on guard today against the possible spread of bird flu across the North Sea from infected Britain, fearing the disease could be carried by wild birds.

NEW European Union rules on animal welfare in transport, which came into force yesterday, aim to reduce stress and harm to animals during land and sea journeys.

The European Commission said today it may sue Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Spain unless they promise within two months to properly enforce an EU ban on tobacco advertising that was adopted in 2003.

EUROPEAN Union Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection Markos Kyprianou, who is on a four-day visit to Brazil, has been urged by the Irish Farmers Association to tell the authorities there that beef exports which fail to meet EU standards are not acceptable.

The animal cruelty video that makes Heather Mills McCartney cry has finally triggered a Chinese government pledge to stamp out the trade in cat and dog fur, it emerged today.

China needs to improve the safety of toys and other products it exports to the EU, the bloc said today, adding that it would seek an agreement on higher standards.

Asia-Pacific leaders will pledge to cooperate in developing a vaccine against a possible bird flu-spawned pandemic, an official said, as the European Union’s health commissioner headed to Indonesia today to discuss ways to boost the country’s fight against the virus.

The European Union will give €29.6m to help Asia fight bird flu, the health commissioner said today.

The European Union’s Health Commissioner will travel to Southeast Asia next week for talks about efforts to contain a deadly strain of bird flu that recently spread to Europe from Asia.

A blanket ban on the import of live birds into the European Union is expected to be agreed today as more cases of the most deadly strain of avian flu are confirmed.

THE European Union yesterday declared the spread of bird flu from Asia into the EU a “global threat” requiring international co-operation.

The EU was readying precautionary measures tonight, including the stockpiling of more anti-viral drugs, amid confirmation that the bird flu virus found in Turkish poultry was the H5N1 strain that scientists worry might mutate and cause a pandemic in humans.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou today said he advocated “the increase of vaccination among the risk population” to deal with a potential or possible pandemic.

The European Union has announced the first case of the brain-wasting BSE disease in a goat but said the risk to consumers was minimal.

THE food industry has been given a year to stop advertising junk food to children or face a mandatory ban.

SILVERSCREEN heroes will be non-smokers from now on if the new European Commissioner for Health has his way.