WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1583/97 by Ulla SANDBÆK to the Commission. Common standards for all foodstuffs in the interests of free world trade
Date: 1997-05-06
Institutions: European Parliament, SANDBAEK
Subjects: animal product, consumer protection, food inspection, foodstuff, health control, meat, pharmaceutical product, slaughter animal, veterinary drug, waste

10. 2. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 45/55

(98/C 45/65)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1583/97

by Ulla Sandb(cid:230)k (I-EDN) to the Commission

(6 May 1997)

Subject: Common standards for all foodstuffs in the interests of free world trade

A report from the latest Codex Alimentarius meeting on common standards for all foodstuffs in the interests of
free world trade states that the Codex has not:

1.  specified those parts of the animal where farmers may inject drugs.

This  means  that  meat  inspections  at  slaughterhouses  cannot  find  the  injection  points  and  then  reject  the
drug-contaminated meat; this is a problem since the drugs accumulate round the point of injection and break
down only slowly.

2.  set limits for the drug content of meat.

This means that animals may be slaughtered before the meat is completely drug-free.

The Codex Alimentarius is also to introduce a new chemical method for measuring antibiotic and other drug
residues in animals for slaughter to replace the biological method currently used. This will lead to a considerable
increase in costs for the slaughterhouses and laboratories that perform the measurements.

Is it true that the Commission has accepted the lack of regulations on point of injection? Does the Commission
intend to go along with the Codex in accepting drugs in meat, or will it campaign for drug-free meat?

Has the Commission already decided on its policy here? If so, will it accept the Codex standards which in this
case fall far below existing Danish and European requirements?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 1997)

The  Commission  supposes  that  the  Honourable  Member  is  referring  to  the  report  of  the  tenth  session  of  the
Codex committee on residues of veterinary drugs in foods, held in San Jose·, Costa Rica from 29 October to
1 November 1996.

This report does not particularly refer to a specification of the site on an animal where farmers may inject drugs.
However, the discussion of injection sites in general took place during the above mentioned meeting, and this
point will again be considered at the next session of the Codex committee on residues of veterinary drugs in food
to be held in April 1998.

The Commission is not yet a full member of the Codex, but has only the status of a privileged observer. The
Member States nevertheless are full members of Codex alimentarius.

In the Community residues of veterinary medicinal products are regulated in Council Regulation 2377/90 (1) as
amended.  This  provides  that  all  pharmacological  active  substances  used  in  veterinary  medicinal  products
administered to animals used for food production have to be evaluated. After this evaluation they are to be listed
into one of four annexes of this regulation. Annex I and III establish maximum residue limits (MRL) for products
originating  from  animals.  Annex  IV  lists  substances  not  to  be  used  in  veterinary  medicinal  products  used  in
animals  intended  for  food  production  and  Annex  II  lists  those  substances  for  which  after  sound  scientific
evaluation no MRL has to be established. MRLs are proposed by the scientific committee for the evaluation of
veterinary medicinal products (CVMP) and set through the procedure laid down in Council Regulation 2377/90.
Codex standards are considered by this committee. The Commission has never expressed its intention to reduce
the standards of consumer protection already achieved in the Community and does not intend to do so.

(1)  Council Regulation 2377/90, OJ L 224, 18.8.1990.