The decision, which comes in the throes of the EU-wide horsemeat scandal, has not gone down well with the French government, according to France Info.

“France is opposed to this European measure”, Garot said in an interview on Friday (15 February), the day after the decision.

According to the Commission, the feed could “improve the long term durability of the fisheries sector”, adding “these PAPs could be a precious substitute for fish flours, which are a rare resource”.

The EU executive banned the use of processed animal proteins (PAPs) for use in farm feed in 1997 for cattle, and in 2001 for all animals, after they were linked to the spread of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or mad cow disease.

The Commission says that their reintroduction does not pose a health risk, as long as it does not involve cannibalism.

“It complies with the latest scientific opinions which say that risk of transmission of BSE between non-ruminant animals is negligible, provided there is no recycling between species.”

Source :euractiv.com