MidnightCall Magazine
News From Israel MagazineCalls for Higher Health Standards for Food Exports to EU
Germany believes China, India and the US should be forced to adopt higher environmental and health standards if they want to export food products to the European Union, says Horst Seehofer, Germany’s farm minister.His comments echo calls by Paris for new EU barriers to free trade in response to rising global demand for food. Michel Barnier, France’s farm minister, last month called for curbs on “freemarket liberalism,” a view reflected by Mr. Seehofer: “We need more market liberalization, but under fair conditions.”“This does not mean more protectionism. We do not want to isolate the EU but to apply EU standards in other parts of the world,” he told the Financial Times, adding that new standards should be agreed among industrialized and emerging economies in the World Trade Organization.Mr. Seehofer said the EU had very high standards on “the environment, on water, on health and social issues. The EU should move step-by-step to ensure that third-world countries also have to meet these standards if they want to export to the EU.”He said this idea was broadly in line with France’s proposals on a “European preference” in farm products to reflect higher EU standards. Poorer developing countries would not be affected, but the US, China, India and Latin America would, he said.
-Financial Times, 12 May 2008, pg. 1Europe, no doubt, has the highest standard when it comes to the environment, health, and agriculture. Mr. Seehofer reveals Europe’s intention with clear words, “We do not want to isolate the EU, but to apply EU standards in other parts of the world.” Today, the European stamp of approval is required to guarantee the highest quality the world over; subsequently, all nations will have to follow in the footsteps of the EU. That is another step towards world dominion.
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