WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2369/96 by Wolfgang KREISSL-DÖRFLER to the Commission. BSE
Date: 1996-08-27
Institutions: European Parliament, KREISSL-DOERFLER
Subjects: United Kingdom, animal disease, beef, cattle, health risk, import (EU), import restriction, intra-EU trade, third country













EUR-Lex - 91996E2369 - EN






Avis juridique important




|



91996E2369

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2369/96 by Wolfgang KREISSL-DÖRFLER to the Commission. BSE  


Official Journal C 096 , 24/03/1997 P. 0003 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2369/96 by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (V) to the Commission (27 August 1996)Subject: BSE1. In which non-Community countries where BSE has occurred in cattle is there an export ban or a ban on the import of cattle and beef products into the European Union? Where such a ban exists, which products does it cover?2. What individual measures, over and above the export ban on British cattle and beef products, has the Commission taken to curb the spread of BSE through intra-Community trade and trade with other countries in which BSE has occurred (slaughter plans, agreements, etc.)?3. Which countries outside the European Union have imposed an import ban on British beef or beef products on their own initiative? In which year did those countries impiose the ban in each case? What products does the ban cover and are those bans still in force?4. Can the Commission state whether the British Government has appealed or intends to appeal to the WTO about non-Community countries which have imposed an import ban on British cattle or beef products on their own initiative?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (11 November 1996)1. There is no Community ban on imports from third countries into the Community in the context of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). All third countries from which the Community imports live bovines, meat or bovine derived products are considered as countries with a low incidence of BSE or as free countries. Community rules concerning imports from third countries are in accordance with the provisions of the International office of epizootics (IOE) international animal health code.2. The Commission has, in addition to the temporary export ban on live bovine animals, beef and derived bovine products from the United Kingdom, taken a series of actions in respect of BSE. Examples of such actions are the mandatory notification of BSE cases in the Community, the ban on feeding of protein derived from mammalian tissues to ruminant species (with the exception of certain products e.g. milk), the approval of heat treatment systems for processing animal waste, and the approval of national eradication programmes for BSE.3. The ban in Commission Decisions 96/239/EC ((OJ L 78, 28.3.1996. )) and 96/362/EC ((OJ L 139, 12.6.1996. )) on emergency measures to protect against BSE covers the dispatch of live bovines, beef or bovine derived products to third countries as well as to Member States. Prior to the adoption of Decision 96/239/EC, as far as the Commission is aware, the following third countries had adopted unilateral restrictions on beef products originating in the United Kingdom: Peru, Benin, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, Gaza, Iran, Korea, Lebanon, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Guinea B., Togo, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, China, United States and Congo. Most of them were taken in the early nineties.4. The Commission has no information concerning any such course of action by the British government.