WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1333/96 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Meat meal and animal fats
Date: 1996-06-03
Institutions: European Parliament, MUSCARDINI
Subjects: animal disease, animal product, fats, health legislation, veterinary legislation, waste management













EUR-Lex - 91996E1333 - EN






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91996E1333

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1333/96 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Meat meal and animal fats  


Official Journal C 345 , 15/11/1996 P. 0057 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1333/96 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (3 June 1996)Subject: Meat meal and animal fatsThe problems concerning meat meal and animal fats, which have made news on account of the BSE epidemic, could do severe harm to Italian stockbreeders unless the EU manages forthwith to ensure uniform enforcement of existing rules in the Member States.Will the Commission issue a Directive whereby:1. processing companies would have to vouch for their production process;2. sterilization would have to be carried out before and after processing;3. the necessary treatment systems for filtering plants would be made the subject of assessment;4. unused materials would have to be disposed of in accordance with the arrangements laid down;5. it would be forbidden to use animal proteins of any kind in the manufacture of feed for ruminants?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (15 July 1996)There are several directives and decisions already in place which regulate the production and use of animal waste. These rules have been adapted in the light of the latest scientific knowledge in order to make the products derived from rendering safe.1. The competent authorities of the Member States are responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules.2. A new decision on the approval of alternative heat treatment systems for processing animal waste with a view to the inactivation of spongiform encephalopathy agents was given a favourable opinion by the standing veterinary committee on 2 July and is in the process of adoption by the Commission. This lays down the minimum parameters for processing animal waste ie 133°C for 20 minutes under a pressure of 3 bar in a continuous or batch system. This may be considered as a sterilisation phase. Member States may authorise the processing of animal waste by a method which does not achieve the parameters mentioned if such processing is preceded or followed by a process which achieves these parameters.3. The scientific veterinary committee has made recommendations for the methods of checking that all plants are achieving the specified parameters. Member States use these methods when validating the plants on an individual basis.4. All animal waste, except certain defined material for specific purposes (hides and skins, gelatine, glands and organs for pharmaceutical use, blood and blood products, milk and milk products, bones fit for human consumption and animal waste to be fed to fur animals) have to rendered in accordance with the above criteria. There are no by-products of the rendering process. Rendering results in tallow and meat-and-bone meal and these substances are safe as regards scrapie and BSE when produced in accordance with the legal requirements.5. Commission Decision 94/381/EC has already banned the use of mammalian proteins for feeding to ruminants.