NoC129/6 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
2.2.TheCommitteethereforeendorsestheobjective 2.3.Thedateofentry-into-force oftheproposed
andcontentoftheCommissionproposal. amendmentsshouldbechanged.
DoneatBrussels,24March1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingDirective91/67/EECconcerning
theanimalhealthconditionsgoverningtheplacingonthemarketofaquacultureanimals
andproducts(*)
(93/C129/04)
On4December1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon4March1993.TheRapporteurwas
MrSilva.
Atits304thPlenarySession(meetingof24March1993)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
1.Introduction
1.1.CouncilDirective91/67/EEC(2)wasadoptedin
therun-uptotheSingleMarketwithaviewtoavoiding
thespreadofdiseasesandensuringthattheproduction
andmarketingofaquacultureanimalsandproducts
developedsoundly.
1.2.UnderthetermsofthisDirective,theCouncil
isrequiredtoreviewtheDirective'sprovisionsandin
particularthelistsofdiseasescontainedinAnnexA,
onthebasisofproposalssubmittedbytheCommission
afterconsultationoftheScientificVeterinaryCom­
mittee.Thepurposeofthisreviewistoupdatethelists
ofdiseaseswhichmayaffectaquacultureanimalsand
productsandmayspreadduringmarketing.2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheproposedamend­
mentofDirective91/67/EEC.
2.2.Itwouldemphasizetheneedforaccurateinfor­
mation—basedonreliableepidemiological data—on
theextent,seriousnessandprofileofeverydisease
whichmayaffectfishandaquacultureproducts.
2.3.Thefindingsoftheepidemiological surveyinto
IHN—whichusedtobeconsideredanexoticdisease
rarelyfoundintheCommunity—showthatitispresent
andquitewidespreadincertainpartsoftheCom­
munity(3).
(•)OJNoC324,10.12.1992,p.16.
(2)OJNoL46,19.2.1991. (3)OJNoC124,21.5.1990.

10.5.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC129/7
2.4.Outbreaksofthediseasesdealtwithinthe
Directivecancauseheavylossesandhaveaserious
effectonbusinessesinthesector.
2.5.Thegrowthinfishfarmingincertainregions
increasestheriskofcontamination ,especiallyduring
transport .
2.6.TheCommitteewouldreiteratethecomments
madeinpreviousOpinions(*),especiallyasregardsthe
needtopayparticularattentiontoimportsofspeci­mens,eggsandgametesfromthirdcountries,where
themainseatsofinfectionaretobefound.
2.7.ItispleasedtoseethatInfectiousSalmonAnae­
mia(ISA)—whichcausesahighmortalityrateinAtlan­
ticsalmon—istobeincludedinAnnexA'slistI,asit
requestedinapreviousOpinion(1).
2.8.TheCommitteestillfirmlybelievesthatthere
shouldbenorestrictionsonintra-Community tradein
aquacultureanimalsandproducts,providedthesemeet
therequisiteanimalhealthconditions.Certainpro­
visionsinArticle7ofDirective91/67/EEC,whichhave
notbeenamendedbytheproposal,arestillambiguous. (!)OJNoC332,31.12.1990.
DoneatBrussels,24March1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDecisiononreferencelaboratoriesforthemonitoring
ofmarinebiotoxins(*)
(93/C129/05)
On3February1993theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon4March1993.TheRapporteurwas
MrProumens .
Atits304thPlenarySession(meetingof24March1993)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
TheCommitteeentirelyendorsestheproposal,after
examiningtheconsiderations whichledtoit,assetout
below.
1.Generalcomments
1.1.TheCommitteenotesthattheCommission has
workedoutaveryconsistent,systematicapproachinthefieldofthevariousveterinarydiseaseswhichcan
contaminateagriculturalandaquaculturalholdings.
1.2.ThisapproachinvolvesaskingMemberStates
todesignateanationalreferencelaboratory,tobe
entrustedwiththetaskofcoordinatingtheworkand
standardizingtheresearchanddiagnosisprocedures
andtechniquesfordealingwiththesaiddiseases.
1.3.Ofcourse,eachgroupofdiseasesinvolves
designatingaspecificnationallaboratory. (')OJNoC15,21.1.1993,p.7.