EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/348

(2004/C 78 E/0366)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3561/02

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(12 December 2002)

Subject: Bush meat

The dramatic increase in hunting of forest species and particularly of the great apes in West and Central Africa is threatening these species with extinction in the near future.

At the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly which took place in March 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa, the following Resolutions were adopted: ACP-EU/3391/02/fin on trade, ACP-EU/3393/02/fin on health, ACP-EU/3394/02/fin on sustainable development.

Resolution 3391/02 (1) calls for measures to control the bush meat trade, to stop the illegal consumption of great apes and to inform the public in ACP and EU countries of the high public health and conservation risks.

Resolution 3393/02 (2) recommends that the European Commission work with EU Member States with due diligence on the public health threat posed by bush meat.

Resolution 3394/02 (3) urges the Commission to continue and extend the Ecofac Programme, safeguarding important African ecosystems and biodiversity, including threatened species, for the next ten years and recommends that the Commission and EU Member states evaluate the public health threat posed by the illegal consumption of bush meat and take measures to restrict it.

Can the Commission indicate how it is responding to each of these specific demands in the Resolutions and outline the measures it has already taken and will take to address the current bush meat crisis?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(17 February 2003)

1. Measures to control the bush meat trade, to stop the illegal consumption of great apes and to inform the public in African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) and Member States of the high public health and conservation risks: — One of the possibilities to control the bush meat trade is through development co-operation with the countries where bushmeat trade takes place. In this context, the Commission has developed a new Environment Integration Manual, presently still in draft form, and to be finalised in 2003. The draft manual contains specific guidance for inclusion of biodiversity aspects in environmental assessments for development projects. For example, there should be ‘no net loss’ of genetic diversity, species populations or at ecosystem level. With respect to transport projects (one of the most important areas of concern with respect to bushmeat trade), the guidance notes of the environmental integration manual state that ‘the best mitigation measure is to route roads to avoid protected and vulnerable areas altogether’. Secondly, better national legislation and adherence to the law in the developing countries concerned can improve the bushmeat situation. In the case of Cameroon, the government has committed itself in Annexe IV of the recently signed Country Strategy Paper to stop the illegal exploitation of forests (with an indirect beneficial effect on control of bushmeat). In Gabon, an important objective of the Community Country Support Strategy is to improve the conservation and sustainable management of the forest resources (including wildlife). The regional 9th European Development Fund (EDF) for Central Africa envisages assistance to efforts to eradicate poaching through protection legislation, monitoring and surveillance, community based natural resource management, training and research. Here the key to sustainability is a change in attitude of people and governments and support to local efforts to change the situation.

2. The public health threat posed by bush meat: — Community law requires that imported meat satisfy minimum animal health and hygiene standards. Bushmeat, being largely obtained through hunting in uncontrolled conditions, often being species which are not recognised as food animals in the Union, and coming from countries not approved to send meat, will not meet Community food safety and animal conditions, and therefore cannot be legally imported. — A new Commission Decision came into effect from 1 January 2003 (4) which although taken for animal health reasons should have a profound impact on stopping the illegal introduction of meat including ‘bush meat’ into the Community. Tighter Community rules on personal imports of meat and milk products entered into force. Travellers entering the Community from certain third countries are no longer allowed to bring in personal imports of meat, meat products, milk or milk products, on their person or in their luggage, unless accompanied by official veterinary documentation.

3. Continue and extend the Ecofac Programme, safeguarding important African ecosystems and biodiversity, including threatened species, for the next ten years: — In the respective Country and Regional Support Strategies, provision is made for continuation of Ecofac and safeguarding African ecosystems and biodiversity. Also, the Commission approved in 2002 from the budgetline for Environment in developing countries, a project by World Wildlife Fund-Central African Regional Programme for the Environment (WWF-CARPO) in Gabon for hunting and conservation at village level developing a way to manage fauna in Central African forests. This project directly tackles trade in bushmeat in co-operation with the private sector. Furthermore, the Commission approved projects for conservation of biodiversity in Central Africa (Flagship species project) for a total of EUR 848 269 and will contribute an amount of EUR 500 000 to the African Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Ministerial process. These projects address poaching and bushmeat issues at the level of law enforcement in several African countries. Through the Ecofac program a campaign of information/awareness raising took place in North Congo Brazzaville, during the Ebola outbreak, in 2002. — In 2001, the Commission approved, also from the environment budgetline, funding for the CyberTracker programme, an innovative tool for monitoring natural resources. Working in and around a network of protected areas in key areas of biodiversity in Africa, the specific objective of the project is to support and co-ordinate a series of pilot natural resource monitoring programmes, and thus clearly demonstrate the effects of poaching. The target groups, and principal beneficiaries of the CyberTracker technology, will be local communities, national research institutes and scientists, and the national agencies and departments responsible for protected area management.

(1) OJ C 231, 27.9.2002, p. 44.

(2) OJ C 231, 27.9.2002, p. 57.

(3) OJ C 231, 27.9.2002, p. 63.

(4) Commission Decision 2002/995/EC of 9 December 2002 laying down interim safeguard measures with regard to imports of products of animal origin for personal consumption, OJ L 353, 30.12.2002.