In order to preserve the traditional smoked meat businesses in Latvia, the only solution is to give smoked meat products the status of a traditional national product, Farmers Federation’s head Agita Hauka told Saeima European Affairs Committee today, reports LETA/Nozare.lv.“Smoked pork and chicken is a national dish that has existed in Latvia for many years. The demand for smoked chicken and other smoked meat continues to increase, and many home-based producers, encouraged by the government, have invested large amounts of money into developing their business. We had no idea about the European Commission’s pending ban on sale of smoked meat, and we are in a state of shock. The only way to solve this situation is to demand that smoked meat products be given the status of a traditional national product,” said Hauka.
She also said that producers were prepared to cover the cost of the necessary labeling.
Agriculture Ministry’s State Secretary Aivars Lapins said that the idea was worth pursuing and that ministers would begin to work on the necessary alterations together with home-based producers.
“We will try to prove in Brussels that these are special products that should be applied lower benzopyrene requirements,” said Lapins, adding that Latvian officials would cooperate with, for instance, Polish and Lithuanian colleagues during this work.
He also told Saeima committee members, when asked what the maximum benzopyrene level should be for smoked meat, that this figure would yet have to be arrived at.
As reported, the European Commission’s three-year transition period on maximum benzopyerene levels in food, which commenced in 2001, will end on September 1 this year. The maximum benzopyrene level will be reduced from five micrograms to two micrograms per kilogram……
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Source: The Baltic Course