WRITTEN QUESTION E-0814/00

by Agnes Schierhuber (PPE-DE) and Xaver Mayer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(21 March 2000)

Subject: Transhumance of cattle

The identification and registration of cattle is an essential precondition for ensuring full traceability in connection with compulsory beef labelling. The practice of transhumance creates a special situation in Member States with mountainous and alpine regions. Each year in the spring in Austria alone approximately 300 000 cattle and in Bavaria approximately 54 000 cattle are moved to upland pastures and remain there for around three months. As a rule, these upland pastures are common grazing land on which livestock from different holdings is assembled and tended jointly. The keeping of transhumance lists means that each animal can be allocated to its holding of origin.

Regulation 820/97(1) establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals makes no provision for taking into account these specific requirements and simplified arrangements in relation to the registration of cattle moved to upland pastures for summer grazing.

1. How does the Commission view the special case of transhumance and the presence of cattle on upland pastures in relation to registration and/or the transhumance lists that are already kept?

2. The current registration requirements relating to transhumance impose a costly and time-consuming administrative burden far in excess of what is necessary. Is the Commission prepared to give thought here to a simplified arrangement inspired by practical considerations?

3. Can it propose a more practicable and practice-oriented approach?

4. Is it prepared to leave to the Member States the responsibility for assessing the requirements of a practice-oriented system of registration?

(1) OJ L 117, 7.5.1997, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2000)

1. The Austrian authorities have been in contact with the Commission about the problems arising over entry in the computerised database (required under Article 5 of Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products(1)) of the movements of cattle sent for summer grazing in various upland areas. To guarantee full operability of the database the Council Regulation clearly requires all cattle movements to be entered and, in the Commission's opinion rightly, specifies no exemption to this essential rule. Transhumance lists on their own are not therefore a sufficient answer to the problems.

2. The Commission would not be unfavourable to specific procedural rules for entry of transhumance movements into national databases. An addition to the second indent of Article 7(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 would be required. The matter is under discussion within Parliament and the Council in connection with their examination of the proposal(2) for a Parliament and Council Regulation establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97.

3. If Parliament and the Council agree on the desirability of the Commission's proposing specific rules (see above) the Commission will carefully consider what is most suitable.

4. No. The Commission considers that the matter must be regulated at Community level. Otherwise divergent arrangements would probably be adopted jeopardising the reliability of information and compromising the compulsory beef labelling scheme.

(1) OJ L 117, 7.5.1997.

(2) COM(1999) 487 final.