International

SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen is alarmed about the enforcement of the European import ban on products containing Chinese dairy produce. The Dutch Food and Food Products Authority (VWA) says that enforcement of the ban is causing the Authority problems because recent cuts have left it short of staff.

“I'm shocked by these alarming statements,” says Van Velzen “Today it's to do with monitoring the import of polluted Chinese products, but tomorrow there could be yet another crisis. So much is done to food that it's often unclear just how a product is processed. This creates risks for public health and the contraction of animal diseases. So a service such as the VWA should simply have enough staff to monitor the safety of our food.”

Last year the Inspector General of the VWA sent an urgent memo to the government informing ministers that budget reductions were creating great difficulties for the Authority, even when it came to providing minimum levels of supervision of animal welfare and transport of livestock.

Van Velzen has asked the Minister of Public Health and the Minister of Agriculture for their observations.