East Midlands MEP raises concerns over Bison meat regulations

East Midlands Conservative MEP Emma McClarkin has recently been working with local farmers and animal experts to change the way Bison farming is understood by the EU.

High in protein and low in fat, Bison meat is rapidly becoming the go to meat for gourmet food and health enthusiasts. Whilst the demand for Bison meat is rocketing, the farming of Bison in the UK is struggling under the weight of EU regulation, as Miss McClarkin has been discovering.

In December last year, Miss McClarkin visited Bouverie Lodge in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, where the battle against EU regulation is reaching breaking point. Here she found out more about why Bison do not fit under current EU legislation.

The problem lies with the sensitivity of Bison, compared to other bovine animals. Bison get stressed easily and therefore EU bovine regulations on ear tagging and TB testing are extremely invasive and irksome for Bison. The stress can ultimately lead to the death of the animal.

Miss McClarkin said:

“The EU Commission has assumed that Bison and bovine animals are the same, and yet they have to be handled in completely different ways. Current EU legislation has not appreciated the complexities or details of implementation.”

Since visiting the farm and hearing of the challenges that farmers Mr and Mrs Wakeling are facing, the East Midlands MEP has written to the Commission for clarification of the legislation and investigated alternative methods that could be applied in Bison farming.

Miss McClarkin has also met with the Commissioner in charge of Health and Food to discuss at length what can be done to recognise the uniqueness and distinctness of these animals, so that legislation is appropriately applied. She pushed the Commission to adopt three measures; recognise the need to separate Bison under EU legislation, clarify current regulation and to allow for increased flexibility in Bison farming.

Miss McClarkin added:

“I hope that the Commission will see that these magnificent animals are not the same as other cattle, and that in fact current legislation is unfit for them.

“‘One size fits all’ EU policy doesn’t fit all, and this is certainly is true of animals. We need to take into consideration their different nature and needs to ensure we have the best animal welfare practice in place.”