The Ecolo party on Wednesday called on Walonia’s government to take further measures to broaden the transition to a sustainable agro-ecological model, in addition to steps already announced by the regional executive following the contamination of eggs with the pesticide Fipronil. In addition to measures taken by the federal government in response to the Fipronil-eggs crisis, Wallonia’s administration, led by the Mouvement réformateur and the Centre démocrate humaniste, last week announced assistance for the effected poultry rearers along with a mixed loan and support for the operators concerned in complying with administrative procedures.
However, the Ecologistes confédérés pour l’organisation de luttes originales (Ecolo – Confederated Ecologists for the Organization of Original Struggles) said the problem was not just financial.
“This crisis shows once again the problems stemming from over-industrialization of our food and over-extensive use of chemicals,” Ecolo parliamentarian Hélène Ryckmans said. “You need to go beyond that and come up with a sustainable agro-ecological model that respects the health of all.”
She called on Wallonia Region to promote top-quality Walloon goods for consumers by creating a homogenous label and imposing high-quality manufactured goods in the terms of reference of public markets in the food sector in particular.
Wallonia, which monitors the spraying of possibly contaminated manure, can set quality standards for poultry-rearing concerns; it could also limit “industrial poultry-rearing factories that lead inevitably to the health abuses we are now experiencing,” Ecolo noted.
The ecologists also called for transparency on the ingredients of consumer goods and the publication of the list of by-products that contain contaminated eggs.
The Brussels Times
