EU Softens On Tallow Product Imports

Possibly as a result of pressure from the USA, a European Union panel ofexperts last week recommended a relaxation on the rules for import of tallow products, many of which are used in making pharmaceuticals (Marketletter August 18). The USA claimed that an EU ban on imports of animal products due to the outbreak of Creutztfeld-Jacob disease as a result of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle could threaten $100 million worth of US tallow exports.

The committee's opinion, that tallow-derived products could be seen as safe for human use if "the appropriate, validated and scientifically most up-to-date methods" are used in their production, is likely to be become a proposal to EU commissioners.