WRITTEN QUESTION E-0793/01

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(13 March 2001)

Subject: Crisis in livestock farming and reform of arable land

The situation which livestock farming undertakings have to face, following the mad cow epidemic, is becoming increasingly untenable. The financial sops and palliatives of other kinds which are being devised and put forward will not solve the root of the crisis, which really requires action to guarantee the future of livestock farming and regain consumer trust.

Apart from immediate aid and with a view to guaranteeing food safety and product quality, does the Commission not consider that it is necessary to:

- give a strong boost to scientific research aimed at fine-tuning methods for carrying out BSE tests on live cattle?

- supply the new-style livestock farming with food of high quality, fodder of vegetable origin and crops with a high protein content, such as oil seeds, alfalfa and clover?

- amend, accordingly, all legislation on arable land and set-aside land, to allow agricultural undertakings to produce food for livestock on land which is left fallow and unnecessarily unproductive?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(16 May 2001)

The action plan which the Commission launched in 1996 on research into transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) has mobilised ECU 50 million to further knowledge, detection and control of TSEs, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans. Some 150 laboratories are currently involved in 54 Community-funded TSE research projects on aspects such as diagnosis, infectious agents, treatment, prevention, and risk assessment.

European-funded research has accorded special priority to developing in vivo diagnostic tests for cattle and humans. Research is currently being done into the scope for developing and using not only surrogate markers, but also reagents such as antibodies which specifically detect markers for BSE infection.

In addition, on 15 December 2000 and 16 February 2001 the Commission held two TSE research national experts' group meetings to examine ongoing research activity, encourage exchange of information between research teams, and identify current research topics requiring consolidation as well as new research areas.

With regard to new research areas, the option of issuing a call for tenders relating specifically to TSE research is being examined, and research leading to BSE tests in live cattle may form part of such a call.

As for the need to return to animal husbandry models which correspond more to consumers' expectations, the Commission has proposed promoting organic production by using set-aside to produce organically fodder legumes such as alfalfa and clover.

In response to the request by the December 2000 Council meeting of Agriculture Ministers, the Commission sent to the Council and the European Parliament its analysis of supply and demand trends for protein-rich plants, together with an assessment of the most advanced options including the use of set-aside land to promote plant protein production(1).

Each of the options would meet the additional need to only a limited extent, and they relate primarily to ruminants and not to pigs or poultry. Besides, the extra costs are disproportionate compared with the cost of importing equivalent products.

(1) COM(2001) 148 final: Options to promote the cultivation of plant proteins in the EU.