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Reports and Memo's
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Brussels, october 1995
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Decisive years for european consumer protection
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Veterinary questions
3.1. Protection of live animals during transport
This is a sensitive and complex dossier that concerns both animal welfare and the quality of the meat supplied to the consumer (see page 16, point 4).
The regulations on the matter date back to 1977 and the 1985 Commission White Paper that envisaged the need for new systems of control. Activities have been blocked at Council level since 1991 because the Directive adopted in that same year did not include the provisions on intervals for rest and feeding and neither the space available. Following the publication of the Report of the Scientific Veterinary Committee, the Commission submitted a proposal to the Council.
During the French Presidency of the Council of Ministers, a compromise had been found laying down intervals for rest and feeding in order to solve the problem of the time of transport.
The Agriculture Council of 22 June 1995 acting by a qualified majority (Denmark, Italy, Austria and Sweden voted against) adopted Council Directive N°95/29/EC amending Directive 91/628/EEC which is published in OJEC L 148 of 30 June 1995.
3.2. Bovine Somatotropin (B.S.T.)
At the Agriculture Council of 15 December 1994, the Council acting by a qualified majority (the United Kingdom and Denmark having voted against) adopted a ban on the use and marketing of BST till 31 December 1999. The Council Decision of 22 December 1993 (published in OJEC L 333 of 31 December 1993) had already fixed the moratorium until 31 December 1994. Moreover the Commission had pledged to present a report to the Council by 1 July 1998 on limited practical tests that the Member States could undertake in order to obtain the necessary scientific data to evaluate the use of BST.
3.3. Proposals for Council regulations concerning the prohibition on the use in stockfarming of certain substances having a hormonal and thyrostatic action and of beta agonists
These Commission proposals which date back to September 1993 are still blocked at Council level. The German and French presidencies of the Council did not manage to make progress with the dossier which is now in the hands of the Spanish presidency. This point is not on the agenda of the next Agriculture Council pending the results of a major Conference of 95 scientists to be held in Brussels on 29 and 30 of November 1995 concerning the new substances placed on the market. The conclusions of this Conference will serve as a basis for the reform of legislation in 1989. (See also p.15, point 2)
3.4. Health situation of the pig livestock
- classic swine fever : 41 cases in Germany, 22 in Italy, and 1 in Austria;
- African swine fever : no cases have been registered in Spain or in Portugal this year. 23 cases have been registered in Italy.
- Swine vesicular disease : 16 cases in Italy
3.5. Welfare of calves
This theme is linked to the transport of live animals and applies in particular to the United Kingdom. The Commission, on the basis of an Opinion of the Scientific Veterinary Committee concerning intensive stockbreeding of calves in crates, should publish a report by the end of 1995 in accordance with Article 6 of Directive 91/629 adopted by way of compromise and having come into force on 1 January 1994.
3.6. Certification of animals and livestock products
This proposal for a Council Regulation (Doc.COM(94) 561 final) of 5 December 1994 is still before the Council and the Spanish presidency has not placed it amongst its priorities.
3.7. Amended proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on hygiene rules in the production and marketing of fresh meat
This Directive amends Council Directive 64/433/EEC and was adopted by the Agriculture Council of 22 June 1995 and will be published in the OJEC.
3.8. Proposal for a Council Directive on health problems affecting the production and marketing of meat products and certain other products of animal origin
The aim of the proposal is to amend the technical annexes concerning gelatine, guts and minimal quantities of meat. There is no intention of changing the health standards but to work out a clearer wording and make life easier for the trade operators. The Council working group is continuing its activities and the Spanish Presidency of the Council would like to make progress with the dossier.
3.9. Regarding the proposals in abeyance mentioned in our Brochure of October 1994, the situation is now as follows :
- adoption on 14 December 1994 of Council Directive 94/65/EC laying down the requirements for the production and placing on the market of minced meat and meat preparations published in OJEC L 368 of 31 December 1994;
- adoption at the Agriculture Council of 13 December 1994 of Council Directive 94/71/EC amending Directive 92/46/EEC laying down the health rules for the production and placing on the market of raw milk, heat-treated milk and milk-based products published in OJEC L 368 of 31 December 1994. The adjustments brought to the Annex of the Directive of 1992 have made it possible to review certain technical requirements.
3.10 Bovine Spongiforme Encephalopathy BSE)
In 1995 the Scientific Veterinary Committee devoted its attention once again to the BSE disease. Already on 13 February further amendments were introduced in Decision 94/382/EC on the processing of feedingstuffs. On 6 March the Commission, on a Recommendation by the Scientific Veterinary Committee, adopted certain facilities for bovine feedingstuffs.
Later on, a BSE infection developed in a calf born after 1 January 1992 despite the application of certain regulations since 1988. Following this, the Commission, on a Recommendation by the Scientific Veterinary Committee decided to authorize deliveries of beefmeat in the other Member States provided that the animals were not more than 2 and a half years old at the time of slaughtering. Otherwise the present rules remain applicable, that is to say, deliveries of fresh meat are authorized provided that there have been no cases of BSE in the holdings during the previous 6 years. In the event of one or several cases of BSE having occurred during the previous 6 years, deboned meat in the form of muscle must be removed from « obvious » nervous and lymphatic tissues. Further details are to be taken into account in the Decision of 18 July 1995 that lists all the parts that must be removed.
New regulations have been introduced to prevent re-imports from third countries that do not meet the relevant requirements as well as stricter rules of control for bovine feedingstuffs.
All these measure are not only to be welcomed but are even to be considered essential in view of the fact that in 1994 there still were 25,788 cases of the mad cow disease in the United Kingdom (19 in Ireland, 7 in Portugal, 4 in Germany, 3 in France and 1 case in Italy). The Commission admits that neither the measures on the treatment of animal feed were sufficient, nor did the controls function properly.
EURO COOP in its Opinion of 17 February 1995 described the export facilities for bovines born after 1 January 1992 « as rash » and put a series of further questions that still have not been answered such as the one concerning the possibility of the transmission of BSE that would only be cleared by 1997 on the basis of a « long-term » study.
Since 1989 the Commission has adopted almost a dozen decisions on BSE without really solving the problem of consumer health and safety. It is particularly regrettable that each time only a minimum level of consumer protection is adopted simply for economic reasons and despite the fact that many questions still remain open. It would be far better to issue a total ban on the infected herds (as in the case of the swine fever that occurs even in much larger numbers) until the possibility of the non-transmission of the disease has been cleared. This would have the added advantage of eliminating the problems of the removal of certain organs, frauds in imports and exports as well as doing away with a whole series of controls.
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[ TABLE OF CONTENTS ]
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