Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
HERITAGE GROUP AN Taisce has called for the reversal of a vote by the Agriculture Committe of the European Parliament last month to scrap penalties for farmers who are feeding illegal steroids to cattle.
The vote, which removes the use of the drugs from the ‘cross compliance’ programme, means that farmers found feeding the illegal growth-promoting steroids will not see cuts in their EU farm payments.
Today An Taisce said that if steroid residues are found in EU beef, “consumers will see no distinction between European and US beef”. “The US has ill-advisedly let steroid residues enter its food chain with significant adverse health consequences,” the group said.
Hormone-tainted beef is associated with reduced sexual capacity in males in the form of lower sperm count as well as the development of male breasts. Among girls, hormone use in cattle is associated with early puberty. The feeding of steroids and other artificial growth-promoters to cattle remains legal in the US, and this is implicated in the decline in the age at which girls enter puberty, which has fallen to an average of 10 years of age today, down from 13 years of age in 1950.
An Taisce said a lax approach at European level would soon cost jobs on Irish farms and processing facilities and have consequences for human health.
The group said that, in light of the recent horsemeat scandal, the last thing Europe needs is to “tear down its fabric of checks and balances to let soft-touch regulation jeopardise the integrity of what we eat and drink”.
Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness has plans to table a amendment this month to restore the position so that a farmer breaking the law by using illegal steroids will have single farm payments suspended. McGuinness had previously voted in favour of the changes to the ‘cross-compliance’ programme.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
What are these people thinking!
Profits!
It’s only a matter of time before I see a cow in a tiny pair of speedos covered in fake tan in a field flexing his muscles.
Beef is so last year 2013 it’s all about horse!!
Hey leave my horse outside
How many steroids does it take to turn a cow into a horse ?
Ask sarah jessica parkers plastic surgeon ?
@ Stephen…
Oh dear Jases, I havn’t laughed that much in ages . 10/10
how many does it take to turn u into ass
Or for you to kiss mine !!!
JasuZ damo who pissed in ur cornflakes…..
Mad for ass that lad, mad for it..
This is arguably worse than the horsemeat scandal.
Irish beef is such a fantastic product, I’m surprised the IFA even let it get this far.
I mean, is this not Angel Dust by a different name?
The I.F.A. have a turnover of 44million and a retired cop on his pension as its leader …what makes you think that the I.F.A. care about farmers, farming or indeed the consumer …………. think Jack O’Connor and you have the I.F.A. …in my opinion ..
It’s as simple as this folks this is being done to open up the american beef producers to the european market and to hell with the consequences , the same thing happened when the original CAP was introduced but in that case it was the brazilian beef market and the result ? ………. rainforest destruction and no tarriffs put on Brazil ! …….It’s only a matter of time before drones fly over Ireland !
It is worse than the original article describes.
“At the same time as it scrapped illegal steroid use from cross compliance, the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament also dropped water quality from the same system of checks and balances.”
So while “feck it up” Phil is making rural dwellers pay for their septic thanks, his European colleagues want to lower standards. Can I have my money back, Phil?
Proof of the lobby groups power in Europe, We’re a member of a Cartel!
Short term greed, long term loss and when it all goes belly-up who’ll pay the tab? Why, the tax-payer, of course.
Why are we in the eu again?
Grants for farmers.
So they are saying to the farmers go ahead and break the law to make higher profits and we’ll continue to pay you to do it. Muppets. It would be very shortsighted of farmers to do this.
No-one knows what happens in the European Parliament which is why these bastards can get away with murder.
What have the Eurofanatics eg Brigid Laffan to say about this?
I see that they haven’t learned from the horse/beef scandal ….
I wonder will Ikea put steroids in their shit cakes?
Where were our farming organisations in all this?
Still bullshitting us that Irish meat can be trusted from “farm to fork”? While they picket Coveney’s office for more money.
Eat any meat at your peril, they are all pumped with hormones, antibiotics , growth promoters, animal vaccination , etc. they you kill them when they are in a slaughter house, pumping with animal adrenaline on top of all the chemicals. No wonder people’s body chemistry has changed for the worse
That it I’m finished with Irish beef going to Tesco’s and get English beef at least it wont have that shit in it.
This isn’t about Ireland, it’s about the EU and England is in the EU too.
That finish’s me with Irish beef only English beef from Tesco’s from now on it cant be any worse than this irish shit.
have your say