National sausage case lands in Brussels
Representatives from Switzerland's meat industry have asked the European Union to reconsider a ban on Brazilian cow intestines needed to make sausages.
Swiss butchers rely on Brazilian casings to make Cervelat, a wildly popular sausage, because they are fat free, durable and give the sausage a pleasant shape when grilled.
The EU banned the casings four years ago over fears of Brazil’s outbreak of Mad Cow Disease.
On Monday, Switzerland’s Sausage Task Force and Meat Trade Association petitioned Brussels to reconsider the ban since a recent health report concluded an “extremely low” risk of contracting Mad Cow Disease through the casings.
The report showed the risk is 440 times greater with T-bone steaks, which are not banned.
“(There is) enough scientific evidence to allow the casing from countries with a controlled risk of Mad Cow Disease,” said Rolf Büttiker, a Radical Party senator and president of the meat association.
Regardless of what the EU decides, Cervelat production should not be affected in 2009.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.