Scientific summit on BSE demanded

THE former EU agriculture commissioner, Mr Ray MacSharry, has called on the Irish Presidency to hold a Europe-wide scientific summit on BSE as a matter of urgency to find a solution to the problem.

"Scientists and health experts must come forward now and say straight to politicians of all governments, this is the problem and this is what needs to be done to resolve it," he said.

The former commissioner was speaking at the opening of a photographic exhibition at the Humbert Summer School.

Referring to remarks by a German government minister that consumers should not eat British lamb until they could be certain about its quality, Mr MacSharry said this had even greater implications than the beef crisis. Nobody would now take his word or listen to any politician or government leader about the quality of food.

The scientists must come forward "not today or tomorrow but yesterday".

Speaking afterwards Mr MacSharry emphasised his point, saying that the EU ministers and scientists "should stay in the room until they come out with a solution to the problem".

Asked for a Government response, the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr Pat Rabbitte, rejected the idea. The Irish Government was acting urgently on the situation "and it seems to me that everything that can be done is being done".

Mr MacSharry also defended the funding Ireland has received from the EU through the years. "I get very irritated when I hear people talking about Ireland having its begging bowl out," he said. Ireland participated in the EU and those transfers were important for development and achievement. But Ireland suffered too, he said. The textile, leather and shoe industries were victims.

"I would never apologise to anyone for the transfers Ireland has received."

He believed that the late Taoiseach, Mr Sean Lemass, probably never thought that one day the Naval Service would be arresting a Japanese ship, or that a German minister would question the quality of food from Ireland or Britain.