WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1012/96 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI , Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
Date: 1996-04-26
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament, MUSCARDINI
Subjects: EAGGF, United Kingdom, animal disease, cattle, financial aid, management audit, slaughter of animals, use of aid, veterinary inspection













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91996E1012

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1012/96 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI , Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)  


Official Journal C 356 , 25/11/1996 P. 0009 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1012/96 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) and Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (26 April 1996)Subject: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)The existence of BSE in the United Kingdom has been known for years, and the number of cases has increased considerably rather than decreased, as acknowledged by the UK authorities.So far, the UK authorities have planned to slaughter only animals with manifest clinical symptoms of the disease and not all animals in infected herds, and have thus acknowledged that the appropriate veterinary police measures were not applied as rigorously and resolutely as they should have been.Other Member States on the other hand have taken speedy, drastic and systematic action to stamp out other types of infections diseases, albeit not in animals. Regrettably, the UK veterinary services have not taken the veterinary police measures proposed in keeping with the seriousness of the situation, and are answerable to the Ministry of Agriculture rather than the Ministry of Health.Will the Commission give careful consideration to the granting of EU financial aid either as a purely health measure (veterinary expenditure) or by way of intervention in the market (EAGGF expenditure) that could meet or at least compensate for inadequacies and disorganization in the application of planned and essential veterinary policy measures, and provide, whenever EU economic intervention is approved, for direct, rigorous and systematic checking of the use to which it is put in order to prevent any fraud involving such large sums in the health and market sectors by analogy with the conditions set for other Member States, including Italy, in similar circumstances?Will the Commission also ensure that, at least during this period of serious crisis, veterinary services are answerable to the Ministry of Health and not the Ministry of Agriculture?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (11 July 1996)The incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the United Kingdom is declining rapidly from its peak early in 1993. In 1995 there were about 40% fewer cases than in 1994 and this downward trend is continuing.The United Kingdom government has applied a policy of slaughter and destruction of cattle affected or suspected of being affected by BSE, in order to remove their tissues from the human and animal food chains.The Commission will take all the necessary measures to check that any Community financial assistance for BSE is correctly managed in accordance with the rules in force.The organization of the civil services of the Member States is not a matter in which the Commission could or would intervene.