WRITTEN QUESTION E-0886/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(23 March 2000)

Subject: Assessment of the dioxin crisis in Belgium

The dioxin crisis in Belgium once again demonstrated how vulnerable the food chain, and checks on it, are. An assessment such as that made by the Dioxin Committee of the Chamber of Representatives can help to eliminate problems. Both the European Union and the fifteen Member States have an important role to play in this.

The 14-page final conclusion of the Dioxin Committee contains a number of references to the conduct of the European Union during the dioxin crisis in the Belgian Federation: As regards the composition of feedingstuffs and of contaminants, the European Union does not have a sufficiently effective regulatory framework. The rules on compulsory notification of the EU authorities are inadequate. The EU added to the chaos which marked the development of the crisis.

Does the Council accept that as regards the composition of feedingstuffs and of contaminants, the European Union does not have a sufficiently effective regulatory framework, as claimed in the report of the Dioxin Committee?

If not, what arguments are there to show that, contrary to the statement by the Dioxin Committee, the EU's regulatory framework for the composition of feedingstuffs and contaminants is effective?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-0886/00, E-0888/00, E-0890/00, E-0892/00 and E-0894/00

(29 September 2000)

Although the report to which the Honourable Member refers is not addressed to and has not been examined by the Council, it is nevertheless possible to comment in a general way on some of the observations which have been selected by the Honourable Member.

The number of problems, including the dioxin crisis in Belgium, that have arisen in various phases of the foodchain during recent years clearly indicate that the food safety legislation of the EC needs to be reviewed and strengthened in order to restore consumer confidence not only in the safety of food but also in authorities that are responsible for food safety.

The White Paper on Food Safety presented by the Commission in January outlines and offers a number of measures aimed at avoiding the abovementioned crises in the future. In the Annex to the White Paper an action plan of 84 concrete measures (most of them legislative proposals) is presented. These measures aim at improving and strengthening the regulatory framework in the whole foodchain.

At present, the Council is preparing its reaction to the White Paper and looks forward to working with the European Parliament on the specific proposals from the Commission, in order to adopt a comprehensive and coherent legislative framework which will achieve the agreed objectives.

The issues related to food safety that have been specifically mentioned in the questions, namely the regulatory framework for the composition of feedingstuffs and of contaminants, rules on compulsory notification of the European Union authorities in the event of contamination of feedingstuffs and the use of offal, will all be examined in the context of the Commission's legislative proposals.

The possible introduction of a positive list of ingredients allowed for use in feedingstuffs needs to be considered, with a view in particular to better consumer protection. The materials which may or may not be used in animal feed production, including animal by-products, need to be clearly defined. The benefits and feasibility of a positive list of feed materials in the medium term will be examined. In the short term, it is necessary to rely on the current negative list which the Commission proposes to extend.

As regards the issue of sludge in feedingstuffs, Commissioner Byrne has informed the Agriculture Council of problems which arose with the interpretation of the different language versions of Commission Decision 518/91 which aims to prohibit the use of sludge in feedingstuffs. The Council has noted the steps taken by the Commission to clarify the situation and confirm the prohibition.