Despite numerous news reports in the past 48 hours, there are no EU plans to ban the sale of eggs sold by the dozen, or even by the half-dozen for that matter!

The media frenzy was generated following a vote by MEPs concerning amendments to EU food labelling rules, which are also being examined by member states’ ministers too. The real question being addressed is whether there should be an obligation to include weight measurements on the packs as well. Not instead of.

Read more at the EP in the UK website: http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/2010-archive/eggs-can-be-dozen

The Times writes today

The European Union has given out tens of millions of euros to subsidise the Mediterranean tuna fishing fleets despite warnings from scientists that overfishing is pushing the species close to extinction.

“Between 2000 and 2008 a total of €34.5 million (£31.4 million) was given by the EU to support the fishing fleets, Joe Borg, the European Commissioner, revealed after a parliamentary question from a Spanish MEP.”

While the figure is correct, it doesn’t reflect the fact that such subsidies have not been paid since 2003/4. The Common Fisheries Policy was reformed in 2002 and this reform prohibited public subsidies to tuna vessel construction from the end of 2004, and severely restricted the use of public subsidies for vessel modernisation, ensuring any changes would not increase the catch capacity of the vessel.

EU to police drivers with black boxes (The Times, 1 November 2009)

THE European Union is drawing up plans for aircraft-style black box recorders to be fitted to all cars to help the police identify who is responsible for crashes. A £2.4m, three-year study commissioned by the European commission’s transport arm has recommended the mandatory installation of the boxes in all cars.

Don’t bet your car on this! It’s wrong – there are no such proposals. The study quoted is a piece of researchand the opinions in it represent the views of the consultants who carried it out.

Farm B&Bs may be forced to close as EU bureaucrats ban owners’ pet dogs from kitchen
(Daily Mail, Thursday June 12, 2008)

EU ruling could send B&Bs to the dogs (Western Morning News (Plymouth),June 12, 2008)

Brussels orders dogs out of B&B kitchens (The Times,Thursday June 12, 2008)

Brussels and the ruling that’s just barking mad (Daily Express,Thursday June 12, 2008)

Dog ban means hundreds of B&Bs face closure (Telegraph,Thursday June 12, 2008)
The EU legislation on hygiene of foodstaffs does not specifically state that dogs should not be allowed into Bed and Breakfast kitchens. EU rules on food hygiene standards state that Adequate procedures are (also) to be in place to prevent domestic animals from having access to places where food is being prepared, handled or stored, (or where the competent authority so permits in special cases, to prevent such access from resulting in contamination. This allows for flexibility in implementation, which is decided on …

Panic as 10,000 hungry vultures go searching for fresh meat
(The Times, 6 August 2007)

Vultures’ revenge? Vultures in Europeare said to be attacking live beings for the first time
(Daily Mail, 7 August 2007)

How EU turned vultures in birds of prey
(The Daily Telegraph, 16 June 2008)
 

Following the BSE crisis, new EU rules were agreed on the disposal of animal by-products to prevent future feed-borne disasters and to ensure a high level of animal and public health throughout Europe.

The law came into force on 1 May 2003 and introduced an obligation to collect and dispose of all fallen animal cadavers.

It was acknowledged that the change in the legislation would reduce the available food supply for many endangered necrophagous birds, such as vultures.

However, following rigorous safety evaluations, scientists concluded that the risk of these birds transmitting BSE is negligible.  And so in April 2003, the Commission agreed to allow certain risk material (dead ruminants) …

Undertakers to lead protest as Brussels seeks chemicals ban (The Times, 10 April 2006)
The ancient traditions of the Irish wake and funeral are under threat from Brussels, the Republic’s governing Fianna Fail party has said. Final farewells to the deceased as they lie in open coffin could be ended by Stavros Dimas, the European Union environment commissioner, who wants chemicals used by embalmers withdrawn under a new biocides directive.

How EU edict could kill off the Irish wake (Daily Telegraph, 10 April 2006)
The strange mixture of joy and grief that marks a traditional Irish funeral […] is under threat from a European directive.
The EU is not threatening the traditional Irish funeral. The EU directive on biocidal products, adopted in 1998, establishes a “positive” list of substances that do not have unacceptable effects on the environment, human or animal health. It is up to the industry to identify such substances.
As a result …

Crumbs, now home-made cake is dangerous – An EU directive may force full ingredients lists on all food retailers (The Times, 9 July 2004, page 5)
If baking for the school or church fête was not onerous enough, the Government could soon ban home-made cakes from sale unless they carry a special label declaring whether they contain nuts.
New EU rules will require pre-packaged food sold in, for example, supermarkets, to be properly labelled with full ingredients lists. This will enable those who suffer from allergies to avoid the often very unpleasant consequences that can ensue after eating the wrong thing. However, Directive 2003/89/EC does not force full ingredients lists on food sold in places like restaurants and fast-food vans. Food sold loose or packaged on the premises for direct sale may be exempted from these strict labelling requirements, provided the consumer or customer receives “sufficient information”. How this is done is …

Circus performer must walk tightrope in hard hat, says Brussels
(The Times, 23 July 2003, page 11)
A tightrope-walker says that his career has been placed in jeopardy by legislation originating in Brussels which dictates that he must wear a hard hat to perform.
New EU laws have been introduced to protect workers who operate at height, but there is no mention of hard hats or circus performers in these rules. Any newspapers, employers or insurers who are interpreting the legislation in such a manner are acting mistakenly.

EU grant to satisfy Italy’s thirst for dance girls (The Times, 3 July 2003, page 15)
An Italian dance school has been given €1 million in EU funds to train young women to perform on the country’s low-budget prime-time quiz and variety shows

TV babes get £1m from EU (The Sun, 3 July 2003, page 24)
The EU is spending nearly £1million on a school to teach would-be TV dolly birds how to wear BIKINIS and put on MAKE-UP.
No EU money has been granted to train Italian dancing girls. Financial support is given under the European Social Fund to agreed educational and vocational training programmes in member states. Whilst general rules exist governing the type of project which may be supported by ESF funds, it is up to the national authority to decide which initiatives to support The Campania region in Italy runs a successful employment programme, assisted by ESF money, which has …

Real happiness is a pig in a toy shop (The Times, 29 January 2003, page 1)
Farmers throughout the country have 90 days to put a toy in every pigsty or face up to three months in jail. The new ruling from Brussels, which is to become law in Britain next week, is to keep pigs happy and prevent them chewing each other.
Under EU law pigs must be given ‘manipulable material’ to fulfil an important behavioural need. Examples of such materials given under the directive are straw, hay, and compost – there is no requirement for pigs to be given toys!
Inspections and penalties for non-compliance of legislation are the responsibility of the Member State. In the UK, the Horticulture Marketing Inspectorate is in charge of inspections. Produce inspected that does not conform to legislation is either regraded (if possible) or withdrawn from sale.

It should not be forgotten that all these norms …