Europa ohne Fischöl? : Die Folgen unbedachter Europäischer Rechtsetzung

The amending Regulation (EC) 1662/2006 includes fish oils into the scope of the hygiene regulation (EC) 853/2004. But the global structure of the fish oil industry and process particularities are such that the implementation of the requirements cannot be expected since a retrofitting of third country industries is without economic benefit to them. This initially led to a postponed transition period which definitively ends in October 2008. The absence of any hygiene risk in the ready-to-use consumer product suggests that fish oils could be regulated similar to the requirements for gelatin. Legal and political obstacles currently prevent an agreement on a European level and bear the risk that a whole industry collapses when the transition period expires. Tragically, consumer products that were manufactured outside the EU without sticking to hygiene standards applied in the EU may continue to be imported without veterinary controls whereas European products that were manufactured using state-of-the-art refinement processes in certified facilities will lose their marketability because certified raw materials are unavailable.