WRITTEN QUESTION E-2724/01

by Niels Busk (ELDR) to the Commission

(5 October 2001)

Subject: Use of fish meal, fish pulp and fish silage

The great protein deficiency in the EU is currently covered by soya meal, where GMOs have been added to the seed grain.

What is the Commission's view on the appropriateness of using soya meal as opposed to the use of fish meal, fish pulp and fish silage, on the assumption of stricter controls?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(3 December 2001)

It is estimated that soya meal covers 20 % of EU-15 crude protein use in animal feed. Imports account for 95 % of soya meal uses. Among the three main partners for Community imports, two authorise and grow genetically modified soybeans.

Currently there is one authorisation granted to genetically modified soya (Round-Up Ready) which covers the following uses: handling in the environment during import before and during storage, and before and during its processing to non-viable products. This genetically modified soya may be used in animal nutrition, this does not mean that all soya meal used for animal nutrition in the Union is produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Following the developments regarding bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in particular after the extension of the ban on processed animal meals(1), the Council called on the Commission to analyse the supply and demand of protein rich plants. In this regard the Commission presented a Communication to the Council and the Parliament Options to promote the cultivation of plant proteins in the EU(2). This communication concludes that there is no major problem to replace proteins from animal meals by protein from plants. The best source in this respect is soya meal. However, farmers and the feeding industry will not react by simply using more soya meal because other alternatives are possible.

The Commission is not in a position to express a view on the appropriateness of using one or other protein source, as long as they are safe. Indeed the use of any safe feed material in animal nutrition should be decided by the relevant operators taking into account other criteria such as the type of animal production (specific feeding requirements) as well as nutritional value, availability of the commodities and price.

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written question E-1898/01 by Mrs Jackson(3). Quite apart from their protein content, the Commission is aware that fisheries products are a predominant source of long-chained unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) which are beneficial in nutrition. On the other hand fisheries products can be contaminated with dioxins. Proposal to establish limit values for dioxins in food and feed are currently under consideration by Council(4).

(1) Council Decision 2000/766/EC of 4 December 2000 concerning certain protection measures with regard to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and the feeding of animal protein, OJ L 306, 7.12.2000. This decision has been further extended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1326/2001 (OJ L 177, 30.6.2001).

(2) COM(2001) 148 final.

(3) OJ C 81 E, 4.4.2002, p. 71.

(4) COM(2001) 493 final and COM(2001) 495 final.