NoC108/12 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.4.93
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingCouncilDirective88/407/EEC
of14June1988layingdowntheanimalhealthrequirementsapplicabletointra-Community
tradeinandimportsofdeep-frozensemenofdomesticanimalsofthebovinespeciesand
extendingittocoverfreshbovinesemen(!)
(93/C108/03)
On30November1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon5February1993.TheRapporteurwas
MrProumens .
Atits303rdPlenarySessionheldon24and25February1993(meetingof24February)the
EconomicandSocialCommitteeunanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
TheCommitteeendorsestheproposalforaCouncil
Directive,subjecttothefollowingcommentsoncertain
points.2.Newproposals
2.1.Thebulls'stateofhealthonenteringthecollec­
tioncentreshouldbeclarifiedasregards:
—brucellosis
—enzooticbovineleucosis
—tuberculosis .
2.2.Footandmouthvirusisolationtestingofbulls
vaccinatedmorethan12monthspriortocollection
shouldbediscontinued .1.Generalcomments
1.1.Directive88/407/EECof14June1988haslaid
downanimalhealthrequirementsregardingdeepfrozen
semenofdomesticanimalsofthebovinespecies.
1.2.However,sincethesituationregardingtwoseri­
ousinfectiousdiseases—infectiousbovinerhinotracitis
(IBR)andinfectiouspustularvulvovaginitis (IPV)—
variesconsiderablyintheMemberStates,Article4of
Directive88/407/EECprovidedforareporttobedrawn
upinthisconnectionwithappropriateproposals;this
hasledtothepresentproposalforaDirective.
1.3.Atpresent,therehasbeennosignificantchange
inthesituationregardingthesetwodiseasesandsemen
collectionfrombullswhosebloodtestforthisdisease
ispositiveshouldbecontinued,inordertotakeaccount
ofthelong-termbreedingprogrammes (approximately
10years).
1.4.Inthisconnectionitshouldbeunderlinedthat
bullstestingpositiveforthediseasesarenotclinically
ill,thattheyarevaccinatedsoastoeradicatethesetwo
diseasesandthattheirspermcanstillbeused.
1.5.Pastexperience,assetoutinthereport
accompanying theproposalforaDirective,demon­
stratesthatanumberofmeasuressetoutinDirective
88/407/EECcanbechangedoraddedto.2.3.Treatmentofbullswithstreptomycinagainst
leptospirosisshouldbediscontinued .
2.4.Therequirementforabulltobeatacollection
centrefor30dayspriortocollectionshouldbelifted.
2.5.Finally,theCommissionshouldbeauthorized
tointroducefutureamendmentstotheannexesunder
theregulatoryprocedure.
3.Conclusionsofthereport
3.1.Theaboveproposalsweremadeasaresultof
theCommission'sreportonapplicationofDirective
88/407/EEC,asamendedinteraliabyCouncilDirective
90/120/EECof5March1990whichlaiddownatran­
sitionalperiodendingon31December1992fortrade
inspermfromIBRpositivebulls.
3.2.VaccinationcanbeusedtocounterIBR.How­
ever,thisdoesnotpreventinfectionfromawildbull. (')OJNoC324,10.12.1992,p.13.

19.4.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC108/13
3.9.Thecurrentquarantinearrangements (30days
forbullspriortocollectioninanapprovedcentreand
30days'storageofthesemenpriortodispatch)need
onlybemaintainedforsperm.Moreover,thevirusmayremainlatentforlongperiods
andthenbereactivatedif,forexample,theanimalis
stressed.Infectedbullsmaythereforeshedthevirus
throughouttheirlife.
3.3.OnlyIreland,DenmarkandsomeFrenchregions
haveattemptedtoeradicatethedisease.However,
bloodsamplingcentresdotrytoexcludeanyseroposi­
tiveanimals.
3.4.Inviewofthevirus'scharacteristics andalso
giventheimportanceofpreservingvaluablegenetic
materia],particularlythatfromcertainbreeds,sperm
samplesfromvaccinatedseropositivebullsandfrom
seronegativebullscanbeused,exceptwhenabullis
clinicallycontaminated .
3.5.Theperiodforusingthisspermistolastatleast
10yearsi.e.until1998.
3.6.Inthemeantimethefollowingpolicywillbe
pursued:4.Otherconsequences
4.1.Thetreatmentofbullsandsemenforleptospiro­
siscanbereplacedbytreatmentwithantibioticsofthe
spermonly.
4.2.Theenzooticbovineleucosistestonthedam
(orrecipientfemale)mustbecarriedoutonthedam
afterthebullisremovedfromitsdam.
4.3.Currentbrucellosisrequirementsareclarifiedto
makeitclearthatthebullmustcomefromanofficially
freeherd.
—animaltesting;5.Specificcomments
5.1.,TheFrenchversionofTableIshouldread'Pays-
Bas'(1981-1991)and'Belgique'(1981-1983).
5.2.Article1(3):thisprovisionofderogationbasi­
callyconcernsthethreeBeneluxcountries,whohavea
previousspecialagreementinthisconnection.
5.3.Article1(4):theexaminationsconcernedwillbe
carriedoutusingsamplessentoutpriortodispatch.—withdrawalofinfectedanimalsfromcentres;
—vaccinationofremaininganimals.
3.7.Vaccinationagainstfootandmouthdiseasehas
beenbannedsince1January1992;consequentlysperm
frombullsvaccinated12monthsbeforecollectionis
deemedtopresentonlyanegligiblerisk.
3.8.Moreover,againstthisbackground,freshsperm
canbeincludedinthescopeoftheDirective.
DoneatBrussels,24February1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN