The current maximums are 20,000 Euros which, regulators say,
is so low that some companies consider it simply a cost of doing business.
The amendment to the Animal Act, which oversees the
production of food, was proposed by State Secretary Martijn van Dam of Economic
Affairs, but has yet to pass the Council of the State.
Dam said that “we saw in the horse meat
scandal that this amount does not frighten them. We are going to change
that. If they have to pay 10 percent of their annual turnover – no maximum –
they will really feel it.”
The maximum fines in the Commodities Act, which deals with
products already in stores, were already increased from 4,500 euros to 810,000
euros in April.
