I think pet vulchers are in order, didn't all this once go to the glue factory? What do scientists care if they give us brain damage, it gives them something to experiment with.
We should eat LESS meat of better quality and get an allotment, then you can be sure of what has been done to your vegetables and fruit.

Christine ter Meulen, Hayes, Middlesex, England

This is going to have a devastating effect on the 2.5 million Muslim commuity in Britain where they alone consume 29% of the red meat and probably more of the poultry, We already have a problem about pork and beef protein being injected into chicken to increase water content and now feeding sheep, cattle and poultry with pigs and other animals is just about enough to seriously consider being vegetarians as it will break the religious code of Islam.

Nizar Boga, london, england

We are unable to neutralise the prion which causes BSE / vCJD by cooking the meat and we certainly have not been aware of when some of these meat products have been used in other foods.
It will have been thought up as a method to get rid of these waste animal carcasses because pigs are omnivors and there may be no historical records of pigs ever having brain damaging diseases. Therefore the need for the research.

The danger to the human population lies in the fact that we do not always know when animal products are being used in our food so becoming vegetarian will not solve the safety aspect.

Noel Dobson, York, N.Yorkshire GB

"This is an appalling idea. How can we protest?"

For a start, write letters to your MPs, sounding off! This is absolutely GHOULISH and if public outcry is any indication, the meat producers will suffer even *more* economic loss by the number of people going vegetarian.

Let them know how you feel. Write to Brussels, the DTI, Defra, EVERYONE and let them know you are against this. It's down to us.

rb kw, brighton,

A simple solution that every one can participate in.

Become vegetarian. That way the mad scientists, greedy farmers and even greediers food manufacturers would have nothing to do.

Be kind to animals. Respect mother nature.

Annette, Scotland,

The EU should be spending their money finding out why people in high places can be so ignorant as to not learn from past catastrophes. Did our governments learn nothing from the BSE/scrapie/vCJD disaster? And since when did chickens evolve into omnivores? They are herbivores, and the finest chickens eat only grains, NOT MEAT!! This is too gross for words...and really dumb. I hope the EESC members wake up before another idiotic proposal is hatched. Of course it is expensive to dispose of carcasses, but that's life, the same as paying to have proper sewage disposal and not just tipping our waste into the street. What planet are these people from? Or perhaps they have never seen up close the results of such insane actions...

Phyllis, Clanfield, Hampshire

eat more cabbage

Charley Farley, Kettering, england

Do these industrial chemists never learn? Every time we mess with nature, without exception, there is an outcome. Vegetarian animals should never be fed meat, it is both morally and physically wrong. The growth sector is in less air miles, more organics, less additives, better animal welfare - so come on you penny-pinching, profit-driven organisations, wise up before you unleash another plague of some sort on an unsuspecting population (human and animal)!

Vicki Bowen, Oxfordshire, UK

For goodness sake have we not learned our lesson yet. I think it is totally disgusting feeding animal remains to animals. It should NOT be allowed.

Sheila, Basingstoke, UK

Unfortunately in this country it has become acceptable for the huge dominating supermarket chains to want to sell everything as cheaply as possible regardless of its quality.
As a result they force farmers in to a corner by their sheer size and power to produce food for them at a low a cost as possible and so the poor farmer in order to survive has to resort to farming methods they are not happy with. The supermarkets are hugely responsible for the methods that are used in food production today and so to a certain extent I have to say are the consumers who have become accostomed to paying low prices for poor quality food. You get what you pay for if you want things to change become more selective about where you shop and the quality of food you expect. Support local producers and boycott the supermarkets in order to hit them where it hurts (profits) to get them to change the food they are producing for you. As a vegetarian I am horrified that you eat meat full of hormones+steroids.

Martine, Milton Keynes,

You have all mist the point. Why is this being proposed? Because the EU have introduced a ban on farm burials and fires. All fallen stock must be transported to expensive rendering facilities which makes food production more expensive than the supermarket purchase prices. The EU caused this problem in the first place. Repeal the ban on farm burial and the whole nightmare simply disapears.

Simon Hough, Widnes, Cheshire

If an animal has evolved to be a herbivore what the hell is the reason for feeding it meat and animal products? As shown by the BSE crisis it never turns out well. I'm a vegetarian so it doesn't impact on me directly but surely this is a case of animal rights? If a cows digestive system is designed to eat grass and plants why feed it animal products just to save some money. And the fact that this 'research' is costing £1.15 is scandalous.

Lucie Byrne, Shropshire, UK

Well vegetarianism is one option, another is emigration.
What I will do is to stop buying pork or non-organic chickens, and only buy organic chickens from secure suppliers.
The sensible thing to do is to ban such feed in the UK if the EU will not see reason. There has to be limits on what the EU can do to the rights of UK consumers.

Daniel Cramer, Welwyn, Herts

Do we not eat animal remains in our food? It's the process that needs control.

Dave Madley, Alicante, Spain

Why does no-one seem to learn, profit and health do not match.
Tesco, Sainsbury, Mathews, cadbury etc.

Dave Madley, Alicante, Spain

If this stupid idea is introduced again then I hope that producers will be forced to label the meat prominantly as being from animals fed with animal rubbish.Then the public can show their feelings about it by boycotting the meat. I'm glad I'm vegetarian.

Sue, Halstead,

Even if 'scientists' proove that it is safe to feed pigs and poultry to non-ruminants, who is going to police all farms to ensure that non of this feed is fed to rumininants?

Also how do you proove it will be safe, when you may not know of the resultant disease problem that might occur as a result of this procedure. Who had heard of BSE 30 years ago?

Barry, Peebles,

eat more meat :)

michael newport, windsor,

It's a disgrace. How obvious is it that feeding animal remains to animals who are not supposed to be eating such will result in consequences which are not pleasent?

It is again our society, who will if they can cut any corners to cut costs. They seemingly don't care about our health if they re-tinroduce animal remains into animal feed, and with a cash-strapped NHS, it doesn't bear thinking about if something worse came of it in the future- which is a high possibility. How many people would die, simply to save a few pounds? Because this is basically what they are doing. Gambling lives for money. Sounds right in this world.

Katie M, Derby, England

This is disgusting behaviour, I know were not the most intelligent country by really, this THICK?!

Nick, Leic,

The is a clear example of how well funded interest groups constantly exploit the lack of democratic accountability in the EU and influence policy decisions. Large industries, such as food producers, have great influence on the EU policies that affect us all, regardless of public intererst and opinion.

Jane Anderson Craig, London, UK

Great, The Tories cause BSE, and Nu Laber and thier EU chums re-introduce it. You get the government you deserve folks!

rob Bain, Derby,

" It follows pressure from farmers and food manufacturers concerned at the high cost of disposing of carcasses."
The higher cost of recycling animal products to herbivores is already known in terms of human life and suffering. The costy to the meat industry was crippling and in particular to the UK where, as ever, we followed EC directions to the last letter.

This should be stopped now.

Peter, West Kilbride,

Feeding uncooked animal remains to farm animals is an insanitary practice, rather like using your own poo to fertilise the vegetable garden. You might get away with it, but why take the risk?

Frank Upton, Solihull,

This insane proposal is being suggested by manufacturers as a means of disposing of the final waste products left at the end of the process - waste that cannot be used in food products. Traditionally this would have been used in fertiliser but now this option is not as available as a result of the chemicals given to the animals in the first place. Surely, the answer is to reduce the chemicals and produce safe meat, even if more expensive meat. We will have to reconcile ourselves to paying more for meat but will be reassured by the fact that it is safe and without the threat of potentially damaging side effects.

Judith, London,

This has been tried before, with disasterous results, but we have to face the fact that certainly in this country the large supermarket has now cornered the market and dictates to the consumer. Supermarkets are out to make money, so we are stuck with poor quality animal products, including both meat and fish. Our ethos of wanting something for nothing, or at the least amount of money has fuelled this and we are stuck with it. We need a revolution in the way we look at food, hopefully before all the 'good' farmer have been forced out of business.

Tricia, Warwick, England

I would like to point out that both chickens and pigs are omnivores, therefore the introduction into their diet of meat-based products is not as alien to their systems as it would be for herbivores like cows. Chickens eat insects and worms, and sometimes even each other, while pigs are naturally foragers and will eat the remains of carcasses and just about anything else.

VS, Oxford,

Morning,
This is yet again an issue of profit for the farmer, set against welfare of the animal. I only eat while at home, animals which have enjoyed a life, free ranging the countryside. When will the so called food producers decide that the disposal of human carcasses is so expensive, that families can be fed the remains of humans, bones 'n' all. It makes no more sense than that proposed by this immoral suggestion.

Richard Paines, Ilfracombe, England

Unbelievable given the BSE/vCJD experience.
If commercial costs are that much more expensive....pass the cost on to the consumer. Quite frankly, given the choice I'd happily pay twice as much if necessary to avoid consuming any bird/animal fed with meat meal.

John, Lincoln, England

Become a vegetarian. how anyone can eat meat from an vegetarian animal that has been forced to consume the remains of another animal is revolting.

michelle eriksson, durban, south africa

In answer to Gladys Barber of Geneva Switzerland, it is the unelected EU governing bodies who are commiting such vast sums without any consent from the EU public. But then the public were not consulted regarding the men and women who run the EU. Keep Britain well out of it. As to re-introducing animal remains into fodder, clearly all reason has been lost and as always profit takes precedence over all.

Carl, Hook, UK

Oh No!! Please not again! I love my meat but I'm increasingly looking at the prospect of becoming a vegetarian. Pigs don't eat chickens in a natural environment or vice versa. When will the scientists stop playing about with Nature and let us eat naturally?

Joan, Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK

HOW VERY, VERY STUPID! They MUST NOT be allowed to do this. My fear is that they will go ahead and do this regardless, and not let the general public know until it's too late. It probably won't come to light until after it has entered the food chain nationwide. It will vastly affect the farmers and butchers because people will not buy pork or chicken, and I think it will affect people's attitude to buying other meat too . What's to stop them putting it in other feed as well. You can't trust them. I certainly don't. Gordon Brown, see sense. STOP the EU officials implementing this NOW.

Constance Ashby, Plymouth, England

Will they NEVER learn!!

Susan Sim, Aberdeen,

Have we all gone mad! surely the lessons should have been learnt from the last crisis, we must all protest to our M.P.'s and get this stopped right now.

R .Evans, Nottingham, England.

It is breathtaking the greed and lack of concern shown by those idiots charged with the production of our food!

The quicker these farmers or industrial producers are separated from access to the food chain, the better for all of us. They can not be trusted.

peterb, St Malo, France

1.7 MILLION EUROS ON TESTS ! Who are these people who authorize and commit such enormous sums of money without any kind of permission from the public and, more importantly, experts! At the rate the world is going, soon we will be turning human beings into feed to save space and money. The whole thing is disgusting.

gladys barber , geneva , switzerland

This governments record on Ariculture, Fisheries and Food is nothing short of apocalyptic. money is spent on hedgerows and badger safety, whilst farm animals are destroyed because of costs.
Now blithely they are part of an EU that considers feeding meat protein to herbivores. It is sick and beyond comprehension.
My other concern is Cameron will back it, as he appears to be a Blair disciple.

D. Edwards, Burnham on Sea,

What next, maybe processing of human remains for animal feed or will "Solyent Green" be a short cut to feeding the masses from human or animal remains.

Peter, Hastings, UK

How can we trust the meat we buy has not been fed animal remains? I have not eaten beef since the BSE situation and have never given it to my children. I never enjoyed the taste of beef anyway and it was always too expensive!

I am concerned enough now to stop buying meat altogether.

How can we get reassurance about the food we buy? A very worrying situation in my view.

Clare Witcher, Ottershaw, Surrey

NO! NO! NO!
Haven't these fools learned anything? Why feed meat byproducts to vegetarian animals? It's all about squeezing the last bit of profit , and nothing to do with the animals needs.
Feeding sheep remains to cattle led to Mad Cow Disease, and CJD in humans.
What's next?
I already pay extras to feed my hens on Organic feed to try to ensure that they have no GM seed. The GM debate has been pushed into the background. I am lactose intolerant, and wheat intolerant. So is my grandson, and many autistic children. We can't tolerate the "normal" versions, so how would we react to "abnormal" GM versions?
When we were children we were told not to play with our food. Could the Scientists in Europe be asked to stop playing with our food too?

Beryl Russell, Windsor, England

DONT E LEARN NOTHING FROM NATURE .CJ.D.
proved that bovine and animal waste in FOOD is not
natural and somehow causes the brain and nervous
system to breakdown 183000 cases confirm this what
more prove do they need than this,DEFRA STOP THE
PRACTICE BEFORE IT STARTS .

george william taylor, HULL, UK

Absolutely appalled by this suggestion. Stop considering it right now. The public will not tolerate such a move.

Christine Barker, Bracknell,

This is an appalling idea. How can we protest?

Anne Gray, Bridport, Dorset

This is total insanity. We have seen what happens when animals are fed their own species; indeed, the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner said nearly a century ago that if you fed cows to cows they would go mad. And he was right. So what has changed.

Oh well; we source as much od our meat from local farms we know. All the more reason for more to do so if they can. Certainly, no more supermarket meat, especially after recent revelations about false date labelling. Just remember, NO big company can be trusted - it's all about the share price, not us, the consumer.

Jeremy Poynton, Fromeville, 51st State

NO NO NO!
Surely this cannot be allowed?

Andy, Scotland, UK

This is Horific!! it should never have hapened before which caused BSE. Now the ban has beeen introduced. It MUST NOT EVER BE RELAXED. If food has to cost more then so be it.

steve ballard, hassocks, west sussex

To reintroduce animal/poultry remains into pig and poultry feed is madness - sheer stupidity and unutterably irresponsible. So, "farmers" are concerned about the high cost of disposing of carcases after butchery? What about the potential high cost to human health if we eat pigs and poultry fed on animal remains? It will also be the thin end of a very large wedge and the cowboys and crooks will get in on the very lucrative trade in animal feed and dispose of diseased remains by having them shredded for feed, too. Pigs and poultry should be raised in clean, outdoor conditions with natural vegetable feeding matter. And if we have to pay more for the meat then so be it - better that than to discover a few years down the line that we have inherited some dread disease(s) from the greedy feed industry's profit-grubbing activities of returning to cannibalistic animal feedstuffs. Get a grip, Gordon Brown, on the madness of these EU officials!

John S M Roberts, O.B.E., Seaford, England

we had a butchers shop for 18 years,when the last lot of vcjd was found ,over night we lost 50%of our trade,has this lot not learnt there past lessons,the public will not like reading this.god help the farmers and butchers.

donald, burton, england

So what happens, when you feed a chicken, contaminated with bird flu, to a pig?
Some people never learn.

Denize, Preston,

I find this news totally incomprehensible how they could even consider feeding these animals other animals again shocks me
most people that are in hospital are only in there because they eat the flesh of other animals and then they rep the affects afterwards by
contracting the many diseases associated with eating flesh
Cancer,arthritis ,high blood pressure .we all no there is a major situation going on around the world with ill heath and obesity in society.when are these so called intelligent scientist going to realize that humans or animals are designed by nature to be vegetarian.

kenny, vancouver, canada

Oh my God. I cannot believe what I have read in this article.

Absolutely agree with G Seymour, has no one learned anything? Do not feed animals to animals in order to produce meat of any kind. Pure and simple.

I for one will be contacting my EU MP to voice my severe reservations regarding this retrograde step and I advise everyone else to do the same.

The British government knew the dangers back in the 80's and did nothing until the 'horse had bolted'. Lets keep this horse firmly locked up!!!

Will Holden, Dublin, Ireland

I agree with Annette. There is one small problem though - our government is busily pressing for and sanctioning the ever greater destruction of agricultural land on which to grow vegetables and fruit. Pasture land made redundant does not readily convert to arable land suitable for the economic production of vegetables and fruit. Added to which is the counter move away from food being flown or trucked into the UK. It's not an easy problem to solve.

clive, surrey,

Why? It seems that some scientists, and politicians and perhaps even farmers for that matter, simply will not learn. We are already fed enough crap, according to recent reports, by some of our larger food retailers, the last thing we need is more food scares. Or, is this a deliberate ploy to turn us all vegetarians so that animals can be killed off thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions from animals?

Kenneth Armitage, Suffolk, England

If consumers want to we eat animal remains branded as meat, why should not animals be given the same privilege?

james rea, Launceston, UK

Animal feed could become an issue not only from recycling concerns but from non-food contamination.

Yesterday's report in the Boston Globe that melamine had been found in feed by the FDA may raise awareness of such concerns.

dr venables preller, Warminster, UK

Will the EU ever learn. It is not sound, it didn’t work before, it will not work this time as there will always be someone out there who will cut corners. Plus why are they wasting our money on this stupid venture.

I have not had supermarket meat for a year and poultry longer than that.

G Seymour, Ferndown, England

A simple solution - become vegetarian and give the evil scientists, greedy farmers and even greedier food manufacturers nothing to do.
Be kind to animals and respect mother nature.

Annette, Scotland,