Brussels blamed for restaurant's closure

A restaurateur who has worked in the catering industry for 35 years has closed his business because, he claims, EU regulations were making his job impossible.

Swiss-born Daniel Veillard has posted a permanent closure notice in the window of his Swiss Barn restaurant, which he and his wife Kathleen ran in Killarney, Ireland, for six years.

The notice blames EU regulations for the closure, pointing to the increasing difficulty of serving certain foods such as "blue, rare or medium steaks, or steak tartare".

"The whole thing is getting beyond a joke," said Veillard.

"They are regulating everything, and restaurants are being forced into serving bland and sterile food. With all the directives, we may soon end up eating just pills. I can't take it any more."

Veillard claimed a local health board inspector warned him that steak tartare was illegal under EU regulations, although the board claimed it advised him only of the contamination risk.

It was the final straw for Veillard, who felt his business was being compromised by a flood of directives from Brussels.

"They are even regulating the temperature of cauliflowers. The whole thing has become ridiculous," he said.

He added: "Visit Italy, France or Spain and you'll see most of the regulations are ignored. We should be fighting for a more relaxed attitude here."

Veillard, who worked in Switzerland, Italy and Germany before moving to Ireland, hopes to find work as a catering teacher.

"One thing is sure - I won't be opening up in the restaurant business again. I've had enough," he said. by Anthony Garvey