Seoul protest over US mad cow threatens to topple government

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/10/asia/korea.php

From the article:

"Protesters have accused Lee of being too eager to please the United States, even at the expense of the health of his own people.

Such criticism gained currency when it was revealed that South Korea had agreed to a less-restrictive beef importation deal than Taiwan and Japan did.

Lee offered no immediate comment on whether he would accept the offers of resignation by Prime Minister Han Seung Soo and other cabinet members. But their offers, coupled with an earlier offer by his top aides to resign, opened the way for Lee to overhaul his government for a new beginning as he tries to arrest his plummeting approval ratings.

On Monday, Lee sent a delegation to Washington to help defuse the crisis and amend the April deal so that the United States would not export beef from cattle older than 30 months, similar to the deals Japan and Taiwan reached with the United States. Younger cattle are believed to be less susceptible to mad cow disease."

EU food chief: Lift BSE ban to cut grain prices

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4054169.ece

From article:

"The EU ban on the use of animal remains to feed pigs and chickens should be lifted so that grain can be diverted to millions of starving people, one of Europe’s top food safety advisers has told The Times.

Patrick Wall, chairman of the European Food Safety Authority, questioned whether it was “morally or ethically correct” to feed grain to animals in the midst of a global food crisis.

He said that there was no scientific reason to maintain the ban.

More than 40 heads of state meet at an emergency UN food summit today to draw up an action plan over soaring food prices, which have led to riots in Haiti, Egypt, Mexico, Tanzania and Morocco. Prices for staples such as rice, soya and wheat have risen 83 per cent in three years, making them unaffordable in the poorest countries."