WRITTEN QUESTION E-0303/02

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 February 2002)

Subject: Pan-European system of animal traceability

The European Commission has spent EUR 6 million under the Telematics Application Programme (1994-1998) to investigate the potential for a pan-European integrated veterinary surveillance system. Given that the national animal traceability systems are of varying quality and capability and are not integrated with payment and

anti-fraud systems, that poor traceability was a crucial factor in the spread of foot-and-mouth disease during 2001 and that new technologies allow for electronic tagging and more effective traceability, will the Commission now consider encouraging the development of a high-quality pan-European system of animal traceability?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 2002)

Current Union legislation includes several provisions on animal traceability.

For bovine animals Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000, 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(1), obliges Member States to establish a computerised database. This database must include information on the identity of all bovine animals, all holdings with bovine animals and all movements of bovine animals.

For pigs, sheep and goats provisions are laid down in Council Directive 92/102/EEC of 27 November 1992 on the identification and registration of animals(2).

In addition, Council Directive 64/432/EEC of 26 June 1964 on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine(3), as last amended by Directive 2000/15/EC of the Parliament and the Council of 10 April 2000(4) and Commission Decision 2000/678/EC of 23 October 2000 laying down detailed rules for registration of holdings in national databases for porcine animals as foreseen by Council Directive 64/432/EEC(5), obliges Member States to establish a computerised database for pigs. This database shall include information on holdings with pigs and movement of pigs.

The Commission has funded the research, development and deployment of the Eurovet animal tracking software system. This system facilitates the integration of the different systems currently used by the different authorities in the Member States and the transfer of animal movement data between national systems.

The Commission is currently drafting a proposal on a new system for identification and registration of sheep and goats that improves the current system for these species. It is foreseen that this new system shall include a computer database.

Concerning electronic identification the Commission has financed the IDEA project with the main objective to study the feasibility and the evaluation of the performance of an electronic identification system in ruminants (cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats).

The final report of the IDEA project will be available shortly. In view of the efficiencies arising from electronic identification it is the intention of the Commission to propose provisions for such identification as soon as this means of identification is developed to such a stage that it can be applied throughout the Community.

The Commission is continuously considering the emergence of new technologies that would allow the development of higher quality traceability systems for animals and the possibility of their implementation throughout the Community.

(1) OJ L 204, 11.8.2000.

(2) OJ L 355, 5.12.1992.

(3) OJ P 121, 29.7.1964.

(4) OJ L 105, 3.5.2000.

(5) OJ L 281, 7.11.2000.