WRITTEN QUESTION E-0889/00 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Assessment of the dioxin crisis in Belgium.
Date: 2000-03-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Belgium, European social policy, animal feedingstuffs, food safety, toxic substance

13.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 46 E/71

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(23 May 2000)

The current Community regulatory framework for feedingstuffs contains in general sufficient requirements
to guarantee the safety of feed materials. The Commission would like to inform the Honourable Member
that strict rules are established regarding the marketing and labelling of feed materials and feedingstuffs,
the presence in feed of undesirable substances and products,
the conditions to be met by feed
manufacturers and the controls to be carried out to ensure that the feedingstuffs are safe.

It goes without saying that these requirements have to be properly implemented to be effective, and also
that legislation, unless properly implemented, will never prevent all
incidents or fraudulent activities
affecting the safety of the feed and food chain. Lack of internal controls (good manufacturing practice,
own-checks, contingency plans) and lack of mechanisms for traceability allow contamination to develop
and expand throughout the whole food chain. It is therefore necessary to set up appropriate requirements
and controls allowing for early detection of problems and speedy corrective action. It has become clear
that the feed manufacturing and supplying industry should be subjected to more rigorous requirements
and controls, including official approval of all feed producing plants. Also the provisions concerning the
official controls at national and Community level, the requirements concerning feed materials which can
be used in animal nutrition and the limits and controls for undesirable substances need to be reinforced.

This non-exhaustive list of possibilities for improvement of the current legislative framework is now being
addressed in the context of the follow-up to the white paper on food safety (1).

(1) COM(1999) 719 final.

(2001/C 46 E/075)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0889/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(22 March 2000)

Subject: Assessment of the dioxin crisis in Belgium

The dioxin crisis in Belgium once again demonstrated how vulnerable the food chain, and checks on it,
are. An assessment such as that made by the Dioxin Committee of the Chamber of Representatives can
help to eliminate problems. Both the European Union and the fifteen Member States have an important
role to play in this.

In the nine pages concerning the shortcomings, the most striking sentence is this:
notification system for Member States of
feedingstuffs is not clear(cid:146).

(cid:145)the compulsory
the European Union in the event of contamination of

Does the Commission agree with the Dioxin Committee that the rules on compulsory notification of the
EU authorities are inadequate?

(a)

If not, what arguments are there to suggest that, contrary to the statement by the Dioxin Committee,
the rules on compulsory notification are adequate?

(b)

If so, will the Commission amend the rules on compulsory notification in order to improve crisis
prevention and/or management?

C 46 E/72

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.2.2001

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(4 May 2000)

Council Directive 95/53/EC of 25 October 1995 fixing the principles governing the organisation of official
inspections in the field of animal nutrition (1) provides the legal basis concerning immediate notifications
on infringements related to animal nutrition to the Commission either when irregularities are detected
during checks at import and the irregularities lead to the rejection of a consignment, or when the
procedure to settle problems between Member States is not sufficient to solve a problem and repeated
irregularities are detected during checks at destination.

Provisions for compulsory notification to the Commission in the event of a contamination of feeding stuffs
are also laid down in Council Directive 1999/29/EC of 22 April 1999, on undesirable substances and
products in animal nutrition (2). However, the obligation to notify only applies to situations involving more
than one Member State.

In addition Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks
applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of
the internal market (3) requires Member States to notify immediately to the other Member Sates and to the
Commission any disease or other cause likely to cause a serious hazard to animals or to human health in
its territory.

The circumstances for the notifications are therefore clear, albeit limited,
legislation.

in the existing Community

Moreover, to complete and improve the current provisions, as scheduled in the white paper on food
safety (4), the Commission adopted on 21 March 2000 a proposal (5) to amend Council Directive 95/53/EC
and Council Directive 1999/29/EC. According to the proposal,
information in case of an emergency
related to products to be used in animal nutrition will be exchanged through the rapid alert system for
food established under Council Directive 92/59/EC of 29 June 1992 on general product safety (6).

In particular, Member States will be required to inform the Commission as soon as serious contamination
or risk is detected and has spread to feed and the food chain or is likely to spread to other countries, and
to provide this information in a harmonised form. In addition, Member States will also be required to
inform the Commission when the frequency of a certain contamination or hazard increases.

In the white paper on food safety, the Commission has also indicated its intention to present a proposal
for an integrated rapid alert system covering both the feed and food sector, as a further improvement in
line with the farm to table approach.

(1) OJ L 265, 8.11.1995.
(2) OJ L 115, 4.5.1999.
(3) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990.
(4) COM(1999) 719 final.
(5) COM(2000) 162 final.
(6) OJ L 228, 11.8.1992.

(2001/C 46 E/076)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0899/00

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 March 2000)

Subject: Taxation Policy Group

1.

Could the Commission please indicate the remit and composition of the Taxation Policy Group?

2. What was discussed at the tenth meeting of the Taxation Policy Group held on 2 March 2000, what
conclusions were drawn, and who attended this meeting?