No C 112/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 3. 5. 82 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive on the notification of animal disease within the 
Community 
The next referred to the Committee has not yet been published in the Official Journal of the 
European Communities. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 5 October 1981 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic and 
Social Committee in accordance with Article 43 of the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 195th 
plenary session held in Brussels on 24 and 25 February 1982. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 43 
thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council of the 
European Communities on 5 October 1981 for an 
opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive on the 
notification of animal disease within the Community, 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 
27 October 1981 instructing the Section for Agriculture 
to prepare an opinion on the matter, 
Having regard to the opinion adopted by the Section for 
Agriculture at its 232nd meeting held on 4 and 5 February 
1982 (meeting of 4 February), 
Having regard to the oral report made by the rapporteur, 
Mr Wick, 
Having regard to its previous work on the matter, 
Having regard to the discussions at its 195th plenary 
session held on 24 and 25 February 1982 (meeting of 
24 February), " 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously: 
Subject to the following comments the Committee 
welcomes the Commission's proposal laying down details 
relating to the frequency and content of reports on the 
outbreak and disappearance of animal diseases in the 
Member States. 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Committee would refer to the detailed 
comments which it made on the proposal for a Council 
Directive amending Directive 72/462/EEC on health 
and veterinary inspection problems upon importation of bovine animals and swine and fresh meat from third 
countries (*). 
It believes that the Commission's proposal will bring 
about a further liberalization of trade and also improve 
the disease situation in the Community. 
1.2. The occurrence of contagious animal diseases, 
and in particular the risk of their being spread as a result 
of steadily increasing trade, presents a threat to the 
Community herd; for this reason the Committee 
welcomes the Directive's proposal that every Member 
State and the Commission be informed rapidly and 
accurately about the outbreak and disappearance of 
certain animal diseases in the territory of a Member 
State. 
1.3. The Committee considers it essential, .that 
detailed rules be laid down regarding the method of 
notification, the diseases to be reported and the regular 
updating of the disease situation in each Member 
State. 
2. Specific comments 
2.1. Article 3 
The Committee assumes that the period of 24 hours 
stipulated in Article 3 begins when the outbreak of a 
disease is first confirmed (definitive diagnosis). 
The Committee regards the rule whereby the 
disappearance of the disease and the lifting of restrictions 
must also be reported within 24 hours as a reflection of 
the desire to remove trade restrictions as quickly as 
possible. 
2.2. Article 7 
The Committee considers it essential that an appropriate 
period be set for the entry into force of the Directive. 
(») OJ No C 64, 15. 3. 1982, p. 18. 
3. 5. 82 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 112/5 
2.3. Annex A 
(a) In the German version the words 'Katarrhalfieber 
der Schafe' should be replaced by 
'Blauzungenkrankheit'. The reason for this proposal 
is that the disease occurs in cattle as well as sheep and 
Done at Brussels, 24 February 1982. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 43 
thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council of the 
European Communities on 5 October 1981 for an 
opinion on the preliminary draft opinion of the Section 
for Agriculture on the proposal for a Council Directive on 
health problems relating to residues of antibiotics in fresh 
meat of Community origin, 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 27 
October 1981 instructing the Section for Agriculture to 
prepare an opinion on the matter, 
Having regard to the opinion adopted by the Section for 
Agriculture at its 232nd meeting held on 4 and 5 February 
1982 (meeting of 4 February), 
Having regard to the oral report made by the rapporteur, 
Mr Jaschick, 
Having regard to its earlier work on the matter, 
Having regard to the discussions at its 195th plenary 
session held on 24 and 25 February 1982 (meeting of 
25 February), the term proposed accords with current veterinary 
usage. 
(b) In the German version the words 'Blaschenausschlag 
des Schweines' should be replaced by the words 
'vesikulare Schweinekrankheit'. This would bring 
the present draft Directive into line with the wording 
of Directive 80/1098/EEC. 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
with 78 votes in favour and two abstentions: 
1. General comments 
1.1. Although it would, in the Committee's view, have 
been better to have dealt with all matters relating to 
residues in a comprehensive Directive, the Committee 
nonetheless welcomes the draft Directive in view of the 
urgent nature of the problems existing in this field. It 
does, however, wish to make the comments set out 
below. The Committee appreciates the Commission's 
endeavour to remove outstanding barriers to trade by 
means of this draft Directive. 
1.2. In order that it should apply to as many 
antimicrobial substances as possible, the draft Directive 
should refer more specifically to the antibiotics and the 
antimicrobial chemotherapeutants concerned. 
1.3. In the Committee's view, binding, uniform 
methods of analysis for detecting the presence of 
antimicrobial substances should be laid down. Only 
when such methods of analysis have been made known 
will it be possible to comment on the effectiveness of the 
prescribed rules and the costs of the checks to be carried 
out. The Commission is urgently requested to submit a The Chairman of 
the Economic and Social Committee 
Tomas ROSEINGRAVE 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive on health problems relating to residues of 
antibiotics in fresh meat of Community origin 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European 
Communities No C 251 of 1 October 1981, page 7. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 5 October 1981 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic and 
Social Committee in accordance with Article 43 of the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 195th 
plenary session held in Brussels on 24 and 25 February 1982.