Sat, Jan 24, 2004 page6

• East Europe toils to put safe food on EU's tables

  • REUTERS
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Farmer Gherghina Francu drops what she is doing and runs out into the street each time she hears a car go by.

  She is desperate to sell the few liters of milk from her two cows which she displays in used plastic bottles on a chair in front of her gate.

  "It's my only source of income," said Francu, 52, who lives in Adunatii Copaceni, a small village 23km south of Bucharest.

  In a few years, when Romania, a poor Balkan country of 22 million joins the EU, Francu and about 40 percent of the population who struggle to make a living from small farms, will be banned from selling their produce this way.

  Food safety is one of the most difficult areas of negotiation for EU candidates Romania and Bulgaria. The Balkan neighbors want to join in 2007 but must complete talks this year to meet their goal.

  They must tackle issues such as animal genetics, nutrition, health and hygiene and upgrade technology involved in food collection, processing and distribution.

  Farms and food processing plants must conform to EU standards by the time their countries join if they want to remain in business.

  Francu and most of her neighbors have not even heard of the EU and its demands.

  "Small local farmers will be desperate. They will all go bankrupt, there is no way they can adapt because they have no money," economic analyst Ilie Serbanescu said. "This type of farmer will invade the EU in search for work."

  The track record of more advanced EU candidates Hungary and Poland, which have so far failed to ensure that their citizens consume only food that is safe by EU norms, is not encouraging.

  Only 66 of Poland's 3,300-odd red meat processing plants have been awarded permits to export to the EU. Hungary will have to rebuild from scratch most of its slaughterhouses.

  Almost half of Poland's red meat processing plants gave up adapting to EU standards and will close by next May. If not, the country risks a temporary ban on meat exports to the EU.

  In Romania and Bulgaria the biggest health risk, food sold on the black market, has yet to be tackled.

  Bulgarian authorities worry that products sold in the shops are not necessarily safer than those by the road side.

  "Bulgaria does not have even one shop where consumers could be sure that every single product on the stacks is checked and safe," said Iveta Minkova, the chief expert at Bulgaria's Consumers Federation.

  A kilometer from Francu's house, at Romania's biggest biggest cattle farm, the picture is no more encouraging.

  Owner Ion Tevanov does not have the money to modernize his decaying premises, much the same since they were built by the communists in the 1960s.

  To meet EU standards, he must erect new buildings with modern equipment, update technology at his small milk plant and replace the 1,400 cows, as their meat, infested with a disease similar to leukemia, is banned from the EU.

  Investors are not rushing to put their money in such a farm, which doesn't qualify for EU grants as it has debts to the state, so Tevanov has borrowed from banks at crippling interest rates for a basic upkeep and fodder.

  "It would be easier to close down," said the 61-year-old who has two teenage children. "But I don't know how to do anything else, I must go on."

  Government officials are more optimistic, saying that most of Romania's farmers and food producers will adapt.

  "More than 80 percent of them signed agreements that they would invest to bring their technologies and standards in line with EU norms by 2007," Agriculture Ministry state secretary Valeriu Steriu said.

  He said hopes hang on funds of around 350 million euros (US$438 million), earmarked under the EU's SAPARD program, a scheme designed to help candidates streamline their agriculture, to be spent on modernizing Romanian farms until the end of the next year.

  Steriu said 150 new farms will be built under the scheme.

  His faith does not extend to the remote farms in Romania, neither does the European money.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Atletico rout Barcelona in Copa

  • 2

    Lunar eclipse to coincide with the Lantern Festival

  • 3

    PSG stunned by rampant Stade Rennais

  • 4

    Sri Lanka thrash Oman with new high score

  • 5

    Manchester City catch up while Forest falter