WRITTEN QUESTION E-0763/03

by Patricia McKenna (Verts/ALE), Inger Schörling (Verts/ALE)and Claude Turmes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 March 2003)

Subject: Nitrofuran residues in imported shrimp and poultry

On 17 December 2002, the Commission made a statement on the presence of nitrofurans and other prohibited substances in poultry and shrimps imported from third countries.

As several questions raised remained unanswered, the Commission made a second statement concerning nitrofurans and other residues in poultry and shrimps at the meeting of the Committee on Environment on 19 February 2003.

During the debate, the following question was raised: How many rapid alerts related to residues in food products imported from Vietnam had been launched after 2 October 2002, when Commission decision 2002/770/EC(1) lifted the safeguard measures regarding shrimp imports from Vietnam? The Commissioner indicated that this question had been answered the previous day to a parliamentary delegation at the FVO in Ireland.

As this had actually not been the case, the Commission should inform Parliament about the number of rapid alerts relating to residues in food products imported from Vietnam launched before and after 2 October 2002. How many rapid alerts related to nitrofuran or chloramphenicol residues in food imported from other third countries were launched in 2002? Which countries were concerned? What action was taken by the Commission in order to guarantee consumer safety?

Has the contaminated food been sent back to the country of origin? If not, how was the disposal of the contaminated material organised? Can the Commission guarantee that the contaminated material did not end up in feedingstuffs?

(1) OJ L 265, 3.10.2002, p. 16.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(5 May 2003)

It appears from the question that the Honourable Members may not be aware of the memorandum forwarded to Parliament on 14 February 2003 regarding its policy on residues. This memorandum by the Commission addresses the full range of issues relating to residues, including the questions raised in the Parliament on 17 December 2002.

With regard to Vietnam, before 2 October 2002, 59 notifications concerning shrimps with residues of prohibited substances were issued through the Rapid Alert System for Food (RASFF). Since then, 16 notifications on the same subject have been issued. Of these, three notifications have been issued in the year 2003 and none after 31 January 2003.

All together, 411 RASFF notifications on food from third countries containing residues of prohibited substances were issued during the year 2002, concerning mainly products from China, Thailand, Brazil, and Vietnam. The details of these alerts broken down by country are set out in a report which has been circulated to the Parliament. This information is also to be found in the report on the RASFF for the year 2002 published on the Commission web site at the following address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sfp/ras_report2002_en.pdf.

When a maximum residue limit cannot be established for a substance because its residues in food, at whatever limit, constitute a hazard to the health of the consumer according to Community law(1), the substance is prohibited for use in food producing animals within the Union. This leads to the conclusion that all products of animal origin containing such residues should be withdrawn from the food and feed chain. Article 22.2 of Directive 97/78/EC(2) also provides that, where the Competent Authority determines that the goods constitute a danger for human health, the importer Member State must seize and destroy the consignments in question under the supervision of the Competent Authority.

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 2377/90 of 26 June 1990 laying down a Community procedure for the establishment of maximum residue limits of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin OJ L 224, 18.8.1990.

(2) Council Directive 97/78/EC of 18 December 1997 laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on products entering the Community from third countries OJ L 24, 30.1.1998.