WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3077/97 by John IVERSEN to the Commission. Calves
Date: 1997-10-02
Institutions: European Parliament, IVERSEN
Subjects: Denmark, Netherlands, beef, calf, export, meat processing industry, production surplus, slaughter of animals, slaughter premium

30. 4. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 134/73

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(17 November 1997)

In its White Paper, (cid:145)Preparation of the associated countries of central and eastern Europe for integration into the
internal market of the Union(cid:146) (1), the Commission identified certain key measures to focus the attention of these
countries on items which would contribute most to the process of legislative approximation. Directive 96/26/EC
on admission to the occupation of road haulage and road passenger transport operator (2) was identified as a key
measure,  and  the  proposed  modifying  directive  will  also  fall  into  this  category.  Eight  central  and  eastern
countries have indicated that they will have harmonised their laws with the current Directive by 1 January 1998.

(1)  COM(95) 163 final.
(2)  OJ L 124, 23.5.1996.

(98/C 134/94)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3077/97

by John Iversen (PSE) to the Commission

(2 October 1997)

Subject: Calves

According to the Danish magazine (cid:145)Landsbladet(cid:146) more than 40 000 calves a year are exported from Denmark to
Holland and then fed as factory calves. Since the weight limit under the calf slaughtering arrangements is 110 kg
in Denmark but 138 kg in Holland, such exports mean that calves that are of no value in Denmark are doubly
advantageous in Holland: not only do the Dutch obtain the calf slaughtering premium, they also produce factory
calves whose meat can be sold. Does the Commission not think that this procedure runs counter to the intension
of removing meat from the market?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(3 November 1997)

The press report in question, which the Commission has not seen, may have misled the Honourable Member in
some important respects.

The calf processing premium is paid only for the slaughter of very young calves which do not enter the food
chain  at  all.  There  is  another  calf  premium,  the  early  marketing  premium,  which  is  paid  where  calves  are
slaughtered  for  veal  at  below  the  traditional  weights  in  Member  States.  It  is  likely  that  some  calves  born  in
Denmark are being presented for this premium in the Netherlands.

The Commission does not agree that movements of calves from one Member State to another constitute a threat
to the reduction of red meat production. On the contrary, if the 40 000 calves were kept in Denmark they would
probably have been fattened for a substantially longer period than in Holland, thereby adding further quantities
of beef to the Community(cid:146)s market surplus.

(98/C 134/95)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3080/97

by Herbert Bo¤sch (PSE) to the Commission

(2 October 1997)

Subject: EU co-financing for conversion of former EU inland customs offices

One intended secondary effect of the creation of the EU internal market is that customs offices at the frontiers
between Member States are now redundant. This has meant, however, that the first impressions travellers receive
on seeing disused customs premises and houses at former customs frontiers are not exactly attractive.