WRITTEN QUESTION E-0280/01

by Reimer Böge (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(9 February 2001)

Subject: Member States' plans to carry out food and veterinary checks

Under Article 16 of Directive 89/662/EEC(1), the Member States are required to inform the Commission about their plans to carry out food and veterinary checks.

In its special report to the European Parliament of January 1998, the Commission notes that Member States have refused to inform the Commission of the number of inspectors and the type of checks.

- At what intervals does the Commission now receive such information?

- When (month and year) did the individual Member States supply the Commission with this information?

- Has the Commission, on this basis, indicated to Member States that tighter or new checks are required, and if so, what was the substance of these indications?

- Has the Commission, in the light of these reports or their absence, had its own checks carried out by the food and veterinary agency?

(1) OJ L 395, 30.12.1989, p. 13.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2001)

The Commission adopted Commission Decision 98/470/EC(1) in response to difficulties to receive information from the Member States on programmes setting out the national measures to be taken to achieve the objectives of Directive 89/662/EEC(2) concerning veterinary checks in intra-Community trade. This Decision requires Member States to send information to the Commission on checks in the fresh meat sector on an annual basis by 1 May. The Member States had thus to report for the first time before May 1st 2000 for the year 1999, and they will have to report before 1 May 2001 for the year 2000.

Although the adoption of Decision 98/470/EEC has improved the situation, the Commission received for 1999 the results of seven Member States only as follows:

- Netherlands: 20 April 2000,

- Austria: 28 April 2000,

- Denmark: 23 May 2000,

- Finland: 9 June 2000,

- Portugal: 16 May 2000 (with an update in December),

- Germany: 8 May 2000,

- Italy: 16 June 2000.

No response from other Member States was received as yet, in spite of reminders addressed to them.

The Commission appreciates that the reporting of results of national checks in the veterinary sector is not satisfactory. One of the reasons may be that in other sectors (residues in animal products under Directive 96/23/EC(3), official controls on foodstuffs under Directive 89/397/EEC(4), official controls on animal feed under Directive 95/53/EEC(5)) similar requests for reporting of control results exist, but since a longer time. This heterogeneous situation does not contribute to the creation of transparency. It is the intention of the Commission to better harmonise the different requirements on the communication of inspection and control results. This will be done in the framework of a proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation on official feed and food controls. This action is announced in the Annex to the Commission's White Paper on Food Safety(6). Such harmonisation will allow for a more accurate definition of what information is essential for evaluating the situation in the Member States, and it will guarantee a better follow-up of the situation by the Commission.

The Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) is responsible for carrying out inspections in Member States and third countries to monitor the implementation of Community legislation on food safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health. In recent years, the FVO has conducted a range of inspections in all Member States in relation to most products covered by veterinary legislation. Reports of these inspections have been provided to the Parliament and have been made publicly available through the Internet.

In determining the priorities for the FVO's inspection activities, the Commission takes into account a wide range of factors including information provided by the Member States on the operation of veterinary checks on intra-Community trade.

(1) OJ L 208, 24.7.1998.

(2) OJ L 395, 30.12.1989.

(3) OJ L 125, 23.5.1996.

(4) OJ L 186, 30.6.1989.

(5) OJ L 265, 8.11.1995.

(6) COM(2000) 716 final.