WRITTEN QUESTION P-1107/01

by Struan Stevenson (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 March 2001)

Subject: Health and consumer protection

1. I would be grateful if the Commission could confirm what consultation took place with the Scottish salmon farming industry regarding the ISA withdrawal scheme, approved under Commission Decision 2001/186.

2. Is the Commission aware that the epizootic study report called for in the Final Report DG(SANCO)/1148/2000, due to be delivered to the Commission by August 2000, has as yet not been delivered? Does he acknowledge, given the gravity of the situation, that this report is seven months overdue? Is the Commission aware that this report is likely to indicate that the ISA virus is present in between 5 % and 0,5 % of wild fish surveyed in Scottish waters, and clearly cannot now be described as exotic and should not be listed under List 1, Directive 91/67/EEC(1), 28 January 1991 as amended, Directive 93/53/EEC(2), 24 June 1993 and Directive 93/54/EEC(3), 24 June 1993?

3. Does the Commission believe it possible to eradicate the ISA virus from EU waters, given that it is present in wild fish stocks and the EU shares a common water mass with Norway and Canada, where the presence of the ISA virus is well established?

(1) OJ L 46, 19.2.1991, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 175, 19.7.1993, p. 23.

(3) OJ L 175, 19.7.1993, p. 34.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(7 June 2001)

1. In July 2000 the United Kingdom presented to the Commission a withdrawal scheme to be applied in Scotland in the event of an outbreak of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA). Following an in-depth examination of the scheme certain amendments were made to improve the efficacy of the scheme. The Standing Veterinary Committee (SVC) gave a favourable opinion on the Commission's proposal, which resulted in the adoption of the scheme by Commission Decision 2001/186/EC of 27 February 2001 approving the scheme submitted by the United Kingdom for the withdrawal of all fish in Scottish farms infected with infectious salmon anaemia (ISA)(1).

The Commission receives about 70 animal health schemes or programmes related to the control of infectious diseases for technical evaluation each year. The ISA withdrawal scheme was subject to a technical examination similar to other disease schemes, and included fish disease experts of the Member States in the evaluation process. In this particular case, Norwegian experts, who have several years experience in diagnosing and combating ISA, were also consulted - the National Veterinary Institute in Norway is also the World Organisation for Animal Health's (OIE) reference laboratory for ISA. The Commission did not specifically consult the Scottish salmon fish industry.

2. The Commission is awaiting the written epizootic report on ISA announced in relation to the mission carried out to Scotland in May 2000. However, the United Kingdom has regularly updated the Member States and the Commission about the development of ISA in Scotland, both via the SVC and at the Annual Meeting for the National Reference Laboratories for fish diseases. Further, Scotland gave an exhaustive epizootiological report at the SVC in connection with the evaluation of the Scottish withdrawal scheme. The appropriate information was judged to be available at the time for adoption of this scheme.

ISA was considered exotic to the Community until an outbreak occurred in Scotland in May 1998. The disease had at that time already been present in Norway for about 10 years and in Canada since 1997. During 1998 and 1999, the notified outbreaks of ISA in Scotland involved a number of sites being infected or suspected of being infected. Scotland also reported sporadic detection of ISA in the wild population. After implementing certain control measures - taking into account positive experience gained especially by Norway - including surveillance for the disease, no further outbreaks have been reported in Scotland since spring 1999. Scottish experts consider it possible that the disease can be eradicated from Scottish fish farms.

Community legislation does not define that diseases referred to in list I (ISA) of the Annex A to Council Directive 91/67/EEC of 28 January 1991 concerning the animal health conditions governing the placing on the market of aquaculture animals and products, must be exotic to the Community.

3. In 1991 the Council adopted Directive 91/67/EEC with the objective to have harmonised health rules for ensuring the development of the aquaculture sector and to increase productivity. Council Directive 93/53/EEC of 24 June 1993, introducing minimum Community measures

for the control of certain fish diseases, was adopted in 1993 with the main objective to establish at Community level the control measures to be taken in the event of outbreaks of disease. The aim of this legislation was not necessarily to eradicate ISA from Community waters, rather to prevent the spread of the disease if present and to eradicate the agent from infected farms.

(1) OJ L 67, 9.3.2001.