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The EU’s top ten barmy decisionsSign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again.
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Iceland Foods Limited
This article originally said that “Of course some British supermarkets considered themselves well above this law in 2012. The horse meat scandal hit Britain when equine DNA was discovered in value Tesco and Iceland beef burgers.” Following a complaint on behalf of Iceland Foods Limited the article was amended on 06 July to include the following observation.
Only a very small (0.1%) amount of equine DNA was found in two of their own brand quarter pound burgers when tested by the FSAI. Iceland point out that result is well below the threshold level of 1% which the UK FSA applies as indicative of contamination or adulteration, and that a test result of 0.1% is so low that it could amount to a “trace” level.
Iceland subsequently tested samples of burgers from the same production batch to the same tolerances used by the FSAI and no evidence of any equine DNA was found. Iceland also state that since then over 2000 tests of Iceland beef products have been carried out and no trace of horse meat or equine DNA has ever been found.
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AS Britain prepares to leave the European Union, Express.co.uk takes a look at the barmy decisions made by Brussels that we can say goodbye to. Voters demanded the UK untangle itself from the 28-country bloc in a historic referendum that will free the nation of some of Brussels most pointless laws.
17,410,742 Britons voted to quit the EU with 16,141,241 voting to Remain.
Here Express.co.uk lists the top ten of crazy EU directives – which are actually real.
Cucumbers and bananas should not be bendy
International ridicule erupted when the EU stated that all bananas must be “free of abnormal curvature”.
Under the rules, cucumbers were to be “practically straight” and bent by a gradient of no more than 1/10.
But imperfectly-shaped fruit and vegetables were back on the supermarket shelves by 2009 when Britain opted to reform the crazy rule.
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It’s illegal to eat your pet horse
In 2009 the EU introduced a law which suggested it was illegal to eat “pet” horses after staggering figures revealed that around two million pet horses are eaten across the EU each year.
Of course some British supermarkets considered themselves well above this law in 2012. The horse meat scandal hit Britain when equine DNA was discovered in value Tesco and Iceland beef burgers. Lidl and Aldi were also rocked by the scandal.
Just remember it’s okay to be so hungry you could eat a horse – as long as you don’t own it.
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EU lawmakers ruled bananas and cucumbers should be straight
Water does NOT prevent dehydration
If you’ve been on a mighty old work out or you’re struggling with a sore heard from a heavy night out, drinking water will NOT ease your pain.
Well, that’s according to the EU.
In 2011 they passed a law, which claimed scientists had found no evidence to suggest drinking water stopped dehydration.
This meant manufacturers of bottled drinking water were prohibited from labelling their product with anything that would suggest consumption would fight dehydration.
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It is illegal to eat your pet horse
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Drinking water doesn’t keep you from feeling dehydrated
Prunes will NOT fight your bowel problems
Meddling legislators made it illegal for prunes to be sold as a super food that acts as a laxative.
And after a thorough investigation, the EU ruled: “The evidence provided is insufficient to establish a cause and effect relationship between the consumption of dried plums of ‘prune’ cultivars and maintenance of normal bowel function”
But anyone who has ever taken part in a ‘who can eat the most prunes’ competition would surely disagree with this..
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Prunes are not a laxative
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Locals in Cornwall often mix up turnips as swede
Turnips are NOT swede
In 2010 the EU decided to make sure one and all knew the difference between a turnip and a swede.
Now supermarkets are encouraged to avoid confusion when labelling both vegetables.
And this is because locals in Cornwall often refer to their swedes as turnips.
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Diabetics should be BANNED from the roads
Up to one million drivers faced losing their driving licenses – because harsh EU experts deemed people with diabetes “unfit” to drive.
The illogical rules were never enforced but ridiculed and mocked widely back in 2010.
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Diabetic people faced being banned from the roads
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Eggs cannot be sold as a dozen
Eggs CANNOT be sold by the dozen
Fury erupted when shopkeepers were told all food must be weighed and sold by the kilo – instead of the number contained in the packet back in 2010.
And even though British shoppers can still buy a dozen of eggs, it is now priced based wholly on the weight.
Washing up gloves must be able to handle DETERGENTS
The price of marigolds and oven gloves soared when the EU imposed rigorous testing on these household products to stop people being injured.
Bonkers Brussels deemed it to be important that washing gloves could withstand standard kitchen detergents and oven gloves underwent tests to ensure they could cope under the pressure of 200c heat.
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Washing up gloves were tested to ensure they can handle detergents
Super vacuum cleaners BANNED
It was as though the British way of life was under threat when the EU looked to target the nation’s kettles, toasters and even lawnmowers.
Their plans to erode the lifestyle choices of ordinary people were followed by the banning of the powerful vacuum cleaner.
In 2014 vacuum cleaners, which had motors above the EU limit of 1,600 watts had to go.
But it was all for a good cause because it was in a bid to cut energy usage.
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Super vacuum cleaners have been banned
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Fruit preserves must have more than 60 per cent of sugar to be named jam
EU in a JAM over preserves
Barmy EU regulators stopped sellers using the word ‘jam’ on their products if the sugar content was more than 60 per cent.
Instead anything containing less thad to be called a “fruit spread”, while a low sugar jam with less than 50 per cent of sugar was named a “conserve”.
But lawmakers got themselves out of the sticky situation by relaxing these laws in 2013.