Another EU ban

Once again our political masters in the EU have decided that they know better than us and their latest piece of bansturbation is to outlaw the use of Sulphur Dioxide in sterilising brewing and cidermaking equipment, something that has been used since Roman times. Now this would mean a ban on the use of Sodium Metabisulphite - a very useful steriliser that is used at CAMRA beer festivals and in homebrewing and commercial cidermaking to disinfect taps, clean shive and bung holes etc. Sodium Met produces Sulphur Dioxide on contact with water - easily getting rid of any bugs etc. SO2 will also drop out of solution easily so that any beer, cider or apple juice that then goes into that container will loose its sulphurous nose over a period of time. It also does not taint taps as other sterilisers can do.

So why do they want to ban something that has been used for over 2000 years? Well an alternative steriliser being suggested is Hydrogen Peroxide, which is already used commercially in the food industry and also by terrorists to make bombs. Yes, that is correct, the bonkers bureaucrats in Brussels want us to use a bomb-making component at beer festivals! Should be fun buying it in the chemists!




Of course this EUSSR dictate has nothing to do with the largest producers of Hydrogen Peroxide in Europe are based in France and Germany!

It's not a total ban, SO2 use as an additive in cider or wine making, etc, is NOT threatened by this ruling. So we can add it as an ingredient or biocide but not as a sterilising agaent? Bonkers!!!!

Time for a referendum on membership of Europe?