WRITTEN QUESTION No. 151/99 by José BARROS MOURA Implications of the ban on exports of bulls for bullfighting
Date: 1999-02-11
Institutions: BARROS MOURA, European Parliament
Subjects: Portugal, Spain, animal disease, animal product, animal show, bull, cattle, export restriction, human nutrition, veterinary legislation

C 348/26

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.12.1999

Community’s overall energy consumption, from the current 45 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) to
135 million by 2010. Such a development will require additional agricultural and forestry land to be made
available for non-food crops, and especially energy crops.

In addition, following a request by the ‘Agriculture’ Council of 22-26 June 1998, the Commission drafted a
working document on non-food crops in the context of Agenda 2000 (2). Presenting the paper to the
‘Agriculture’ Council of 15 December 1998, the Commission emphasised that this was an initial approach to
the problem of support measures for non-food crops.

While not proposing practical solutions at this stage, the document opens the debate and invites Member
States to give their points of view.

The Commission will give these its fullest attention in the negotiations on Agenda 2000.

(1) COM(97) 599 final.
(2)
SEC(98) 2169.

(1999/C 348/030)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0151/99

by José Barros Moura (PSE) to the Commission

(11 February 1999)

Subject: Implications of the ban on exports of bulls for bullfighting

With reference to my question E-3620/98, the Commission should bear in mind what was written by
Ana Fernandez Graciani in issue No 23 of the magazine ‘Toros’, of 15 December 1998:

‘Just like last year, when the heavens gave valuable assistance to livestock farmers who were in a desperate
situation by sending them a splendid year of rainfall, Spanish breeders of bulls for bullfighting will this season
face less competition when they come to sell their products since the closing of the border with Portugal
because of ‘mad cow’ disease will result in a significant reduction in the total supply of bulls.’

However, will Community law allow this ‘miracle’, which goes against the rules on competition in a single
market and which will change a measure intended to protect human health into one which protects the
economic interests of Spanish livestock farmers, against all the provisions of, for example, Article 30
(ex Article 36) of the EC Treaty?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(17 March 1999)

As already stated in the answer to the Honourable Member’s Written Question E-3620/98 (1), the purpose of
Commission Decision 98/653/EC, of 18 November 1998, concerning emergency measures made necessary by
the occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Portugal (2) is to protect human and animal health.
Any request to exempt fighting bulls from the general ban to move live bovine animals out of Portugal must be
examined in the light of the likelihood that the animals will enter the food or feed chain and of the possibilities
to prevent fraud.

The Commission does not share the view of the Honourable Member that there is a commercial objective to
the decision to restrict the trade from the Member State concerned.

(1) OJ C 320, 6.11.1999, p. 60.
(2) OJ L 311, 20.11.1998.