WRITTEN QUESTION No. 655/98 by Esko SEPPÄNEN to the Commission. Use of hormones in cattle rearing
Date: 1998-03-10
Institutions: European Parliament, SEPPAENEN
Subjects: health control, hormone, livestock, livestock farming, meat, veterinary legislation

9. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 310/113

Answer given by Mr Mar(cid:14)·n on behalf of the Commission

(3 April 1998)

Al-Invest  is  a  decentralised  Community  programme  designed  to  foster  business  meetings.  The  initiative  for
arranging such meetings therefore comes from private operators such as chambers of commerce and industry,
professional  associations  and  federations  and  specialised  consultants  forming  part  of  networks  known  as
Eurocentres in Latin America and Coopece in Europe.

In Spain, institutions located in Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Valencia and Zaragoza have taken an active part in
Al-Invest.  Not  many  Galician  firms  have  been  represented  at  Al-Invest  sectoral  meetings  with  the  notable
exception of the fisheries sector.

(98/C 310/150)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0655/98

by Esko Seppa¤nen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(10 March 1998)

Subject: Use of hormones in cattle rearing

In the EU the use of hormones in cattle rearing has been prohibited, and not solely for health reasons. Supervision
of hormone use is however inadequate. In many countries meat has been found to contain hormone residues. It
has been estimated (by Der Spiegel magazine) that as much as ECU 1.5 billion worth of hormones are sold in the
EU in spite of the fact that their use is prohibited. What does the Commission think could be done to promote
more effective supervision of hormone use?

Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission

(7 April 1998)

According to Council Directive 96/22/EC of 29 April 1996 concerning the prohibition on the use in stockfarming
of  certain  substances  having  a  hormonal  or  thyrostatic  action  and  of  B-agonists,  and  repealing  Directives
81/602/EEC, 88/146/EEC and 88/299/EEC (1), the use of hormones for growth promotion purposes in animals is
prohibited, the main reason being the protection of consumers from eating potentially dangerous substances.

Within the Community it is the Member States which are responsible for the control of prohibited substances
such as the hormones covered by Directive 96/22/EC. Council Directive 96/23/EC 18,2 lays down the measures
to monitor certain substances and residues thereof in live animals and animal products, including the growth
promoting hormones. With the implementation by the Member States as from 1 July 1997 of the surveillance
measures  required  by  this  Directive  as  well  as  the  imposition  of  severe  sanctions  with  respect  to  fraud,  it  is
expected that the illegal use of hormones will be prevented more efficiently.

(1)  OJ L 125, 23.5.1996.

(98/C 310/151)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0661/98

by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz (V) to the Commission

(2 March 1998)

Subject: Nuclear waste at Dounreay

After previous revelations about the disposal of nuclear waste in a shaft close to the British reprocessing facility
at  Dounreay  (cid:145)The  Guardian(cid:146)  has  now  been  able  to  produce  evidence  in  early  February  that,  since  1971,
considerable quantities of highly hazardous radioactive waste materials have been sunk in a further › hitherto
unknown › shaft on the site of the facility. This waste includes at least 40 kg of uranium, plutonium and sodium.