WRITTEN QUESTION E-3749/00

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 December 2000)

Subject: Serious deficiencies in the application of Community Directives 89/362 and 92/46 in Greece

The investigation carried out in Greece by the EU Food and Veterinary Office between 27 and 31 March 2000 revealed serious deficiencies in the application of Community Directives 89/362(1) and 92/46(2).

What deficiencies did the EU Food and Veterinary Office's investigation detect in the application of Community Directives 89/362 and 92/46 in Greece?

What implications does the defective application of Community Directives 89/362 and 92/46 have for consumer and animal health?

What steps does the Commission intend to take to ensure that Greece applies these two Community directives in full?

(1) OJ L 156, 8.6.1989, p. 30.

(2) OJ L 268, 14.9.1992, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(19 February 2001)

Detailed information on the deficiencies observed by the inspectors from the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) during their mission to Greece, to which the Honourable Member refers, is presented in the final report (SANCO/1063/2000), which is available at the following Internet address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/inspections/vi/reports/index_en.html.

The recommendations made by the FVO inspectors for remedying these deficiencies can also be found there.

The deficiency with the most serious implication for public and animal health is that relating to brucellosis. This disease, which affects herds of small ruminants (sheep, goats) and bovine animals, can be transmitted to people who come into contact with animals (such as shepherds or farming families) or who drink raw milk or dairy products made from unpasteurised milk. This is why Council Directive 92/46/EEC of 16 June 1992 laying down the health rules for the production and placing on the market of raw milk, heat-treated milk and milk-based products stipulates in Article 3(2) that milk from infected farms should be heat-treated.

The Greek authorities estimate that the incidence of this zoonosis in 1999 was 20 cases per 100 000 population.

The Commission has, for several years, been providing financial backing for eradication programmes submitted by Greece in this area. Owing to problematic conditions in Greece, such as the shortage of veterinary staff, inadequate identification processes, zootechnical practices and transhumance, insufficient progress has been made in combating the disease. With the support of the Commission, the Greek authorities changed their policy in 1998 and began to vaccinate animals. The results, particularly with regard to reducing the infection rate among humans, will only become apparent in a few years' time.

For further information on brucella melitensis, the Honourable Member is referred to the Food and Veterinary Office report (SANCO/1035/99), which can be consulted on the Internet at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg24/health/vi/reports.

As a result of the two reports, the Greek health authorities have embarked on a programme of corrective measures to be implemented in the short and medium term.

With a view to assessing the implementation of these measures, the Food and Veterinary Office has planned two follow-up missions to Greece. The first, concerning hygiene in the dairy industry, will take place from 12 to 16 March 2001, followed by the second, relating to the eradication of brucellosis, from 25 to 29 June 2001. The conclusions of the missions will be discussed within the Commission, which will then take any steps necessary to ensure consumer protection both inside and outside Greece.