EU Directives we should ditch or keep

[tomdhu]

The chlorinated chicken fiasco on another thread prompted me to create this one. It will give us the chance to discuss and evaluate what legislation is worthwhile to keep or discard.

Horse passports.

Yes, under EU law all horses must have a "passport" which is an identification record which show whether that the particular horse can be used for food at the end of their life. This has arisen because under a EU law, it is illegal for people to eat pet horses but they are still allowed to eat other types of horses.

Europeans who raise and slaughter horses for meat must not pass them off as pets in a bid to dodge food safety rules.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_14_1000

[keano77]

Neigh, surely not

[TheCat]

tomdhu Wrote:

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>

> Horse passports.

As long as they're BLUE....

[Blah Blah]

As a vegetarian the very idea of eating a horse repulses me.

[TheCat]

Blah Blah Wrote:

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> As a vegetarian the very idea of eating a horse

> repulses me.

do they give you the trots?

[Effra]

Water does not hydrate you

In 2011 the EU banned drink manufactures from claiming that water can prevent dehydration.

EU officials concluded that, following a three-year investigation, there was no evidence to prove drinking water prevents dehydration.

Producers of bottled water are forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict.

The move was criticised as being both at odds with science and common sense.

The NHS, which says dehydration occurs ?when your body loses more fluid than you take in?, advises drinking fluids to help ward off dehydration.

from the Express

[Sephiroth]

less hysterically

https://www.theguardian.com/science/the-lay-scientist/2011/nov/18/1

[teddyboy23]

From the 20th of last month menthol cigarettes are banned in the European union including us .

[JohnL]

Effra Wrote:

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> from the Express

it doesn't matter what the rest of the post says - this bit overrides :) and I'd say bottled water does not hydrate you any better than tap water.

Express readers have also been moaning about the colour and quality of the new blue passports.

[Sephiroth]

"From the 20th of last month menthol cigarettes are banned in the European union including us ."

you say that like it's a bad thing

[malumbu]

Blah Blah Wrote:

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> As a vegetarian the very idea of eating a horse

> repulses me.

Not eaten meat for decades but why does this repulse you? Unless you are repulsed by eating all flesh. I'd add grey squirrel to the list that meat eaters should consume. Rat, dog but probably not cats.

[Siduhe]

Effra Wrote:

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> Water does not hydrate you

> In 2011 the EU banned drink manufactures from

> claiming that water can prevent dehydration.

>

> EU officials concluded that, following a

> three-year investigation, there was no evidence to

> prove drinking water prevents dehydration.

>

> Producers of bottled water are forbidden by law

> from making the claim and will face a two-year

> jail sentence if they defy the edict.

>

> The move was criticised as being both at odds with

> science and common sense.

>

> The NHS, which says dehydration occurs ?when your

> body loses more fluid than you take in?, advises

> drinking fluids to help ward off dehydration.

>

> from the Express

Have you actually read the EU decision? It is in relation to a specific food advertising claim put forward - not for a real product mind you - but by two people who have been very critical of the EU's oversight of food safety. They were upfront in saying the wording was designed to get the ruling that it did.

The claim made was: The regular consumption of significant amounts of water can reduce the risk of development of dehydration and of concomitant decrease of performance.

The ruling made absolutely clear that the EFSA supported claims that drinking water is good for normal physical and cognitive functions. If the wording had said that, they would have approved it. However, this particular wording was rejected because water on its own can't prevent dehydration and because it isn't the regularity of drinking water but drinking water at the times you need it which prevents dehydration.

From a personal perspective - I think the EU does some things really well and some things poorly, but just repeating "curated" anti-EU content without context drives me insane. There's lots you can criticise the EU for without relying on this sort of bullshit article (with apologies to admin).

[tomdhu]

Vacuum cleaners.

The EU dictated that vacuum cleaners should have a maximum power of 850 watts on the basis that it would save energy.

It is acknowledged in the industry that the optimum power is around 1200Watt as this gives worthwhile suction. With 850W it takes twice as long to do a decent job - so the energy saving argument is negated.

[Sephiroth]

"It is acknowledged in the industry that the optimum power is around 1200Watt as this gives worthwhile suction. With 850W it takes twice as long to do a decent job - so the energy saving argument is negated."

This sounds like a load of hot air

Nobody sane genuinely takes twice as long to vacuum their house since and I've not noticed ANY difference at all - you are manufacturing outrage

(and again you try and lift this navel-gazing nation's attention and speak to friends and family in other eu countries - no outrage. No bother. so what IS it about the English and their outrage at the EU eh?)

[malumbu]

Sadly we have lost sight that the UK punched above their weight in negotiating EU Law. It's easy to knock, such as urban myths like the banning of bent bananas,

Not everything was right, for example the banning of Incandescent light bulbs before LED ones on the shelf. Bit do you remember those dreadful things, bloody hot, the smell of burning plastic from the fitting, blowing every few weeks.

[Sephiroth]

Plus those bulbs were for sale aaaaages after the supposed date.

These directives are never as problematic as many like to make out