European Parliament resolution on BSE and safety of animal feed
Date: 2000-11-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: animal nutrition, animal product, animal protein, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, food safety, health control, veterinary inspection, veterinary legislation

8.8.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 223/281

TEXTS ADOPTED

Thursday 16 November 2000

1. BSE and ban on meat-and-bone meal in all feedingstuffs

B5-0869, 0870, 0873, 0875, 0878 and 0880/2000

European Parliament resolution on BSE and safety of animal feed

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to its previous resolutions on BSE, especially those of 19 February 1997 concerning the
conclusions of the temporary committee of inquiry into BSE (1) and 19 November 1997 concerning
the follow-up committee on implementation of the recommendations of the committee of inquiry (2),

(cid:1) having regard to the outcome of the joint conference of the European Parliament and the Commission

on meat-and-bone meal on 1/2 July 1997,

(cid:1) having regard to the joint conference of the European Parliament and the Commission on BSE on

30 November and 1 December 1998,

(cid:1) having regard to its position of 17 May 2000 (3) on the proposal for a European Parliament and
Council regulation laying down rules for the prevention and control of certain transmissible spongi-
form encephalopathies (TSE) (COM(1998) 623 (cid:1) C4-0025/1999 (cid:1) 1998/0323(COD)),

(cid:1) having regard to the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation laying down the
health rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption (COM(2000) 574),
which seeks to exclude fallen animals from the production of meat-and-bone meal and the food chain,

(cid:1) having regard to the Scientific Steering Commitee’s opinion on the geographical risk assessment for

TSE adopted on 1 August 2000,

(cid:1) having regard to Article 153 of the EC Treaty (consumer protection), which stipulates that, in order to
promote the interests of consumers and to ensure a high level of consumer protection, the Commu-
nity will contribute to protecting the health, safety and economic interests of consumers, as well as to
promoting their right to information,

A. whereas all decisions regarding the placing and maintenance on the market of food and feedingstuffs

must be based on the precautionary principle and scientific evidence,

B. whereas the proper functioning of the single market requires that decisions which were made at Eur-
opean level in accordance with provisions laid down by the Treaties and secondary European legisla-
tion must be respected by Member States,

C. whereas it is fundamental to EU food policy that only safe food and feedingstuffs should be allowed to

be put on the market,

D. whereas a six-month experimental testing programme begun in June 2000 has uncovered up to 35
cases of BSE infection in animals that would not have been identified under normal veterinary inspec-
tions,

E. whereas there have been instances in certain Member States where meat-and-bone meal has continued
to be fed to ruminants due to fraud or cross-contamination (according to the Commission’s Veterinary
inspections in 1999),

(1) OJ C 85, 17.3.1997, p. 61.
(2) OJ C 371, 8.12.1997, p. 81.
(3)
‘Texts Adopted’, Item 7.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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8.8.2001

Thursday 16 November 2000

Takes the view that traceability of food all the way from feed and field to stable and table should be a

1.
cornerstone of EU food policy;

Takes the view that it should be considered a crime to knowingly allow an infected animal, or one

2.
suspected of being infected, to enter the food chain;

3.
Recalls that a ban on feeding ruminants with meat-and-bone meal has been in force in the entire EU
since 1994; insists that non-ruminants should under no circumstances be fed with animal proteins which
derive from sources not authorised for human consumption;

4.
Deplores the lack of harmonisation of the ban on meat-and-bone meal; calls for a ban on animal feed
production and farm feeding practices that involve recycling animal remains to cattle, sheep, goats and to
any other animals including poultry and fish as long as Member States cannot guarantee the implementa-
tion of existing EU laws concerning BSE prevention (treatment at 133° C, 3 bar for 20 minutes; guaranteed
separation of SRMs, etc.) and as long as the separation of fallen animals as proposed by the Commission
(COM(2000) 574) has not come into force;

5.
Points out in this regard that blood and blood products must also be subject to a total ban in fee-
dingstuffs destined for all animals (cid:1) this includes mixing blood and blood products with other products;

Reiterates the need for the highest possible hygiene standards and protection of human health to
6.
apply also to third countries and calls upon the Commission to implement relevant legislation and take
the necessary steps at international level;

Reiterates its call for the rapid introduction of compulsory testing for BSE in all cattle, sheep and
7.
goats destined for slaughter, starting with all those above 18 months of age, in all Member States in order
to obtain a clear picture of the epidemiological situation throughout the EU;

Insists that, within the framework of budgetary conciliation, the necessary financial resources for

8.
implementing the tests and further health protection measures must be made available;

9.
Calls upon the Commission to complete the IOE Standards and the risk classification of the Scientific
Steering Committee in the light of the test results so as to be able to use this as a basis for recasting the
existing Community provisions on meat, meat products, meat-and-bone meal and risk materials in the
interests of preventive consumer protection;

10.

Reiterates its call for research into and funding for rapid diagnostic tests for TSEs;

Reiterates its call for entire herds to be removed from the food chain when a test shows a positive

11.
result;

Points out that farmers are likely to be the first to notice possible cases of infection in their herd;
12.
believes in this respect that national eradication policies (and in particular compensation for infected ani-
mals based on their market value) should be such that they encourage all those involved in the earlier
stages of the food chain to come forward if they suspect BSE;

Hopes that a Community plan for transport, storage and incineration of meat-and-bone meal will

13.
be implemented rapidly;

Insists that the same standards are applied to the production of organic fertilisers and other pro-

14.
ducts containing meat-and-bone meal, bone-meal or horn;

15.
Suggests that the utilisation of animal waste products not approved for human consumption
(e.g. biogas, co-incineration in electricity plants, cement production and bio-fuels) should be investigated
and support given to research and development;

16.
Condemns Member States for dragging their feet in implementing the relevant necessary legislation
with regard to hygiene, feedingstuff production methods, the treatment of risk material, animal nutrition
and inspection and labelling;

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Thursday 16 November 2000

17.
Calls upon the Commission to inform Parliament as to which Member States have implemented and
properly enforced EU legislation concerning the ban on meat-and-bone meal in feedingstuffs intended for
ruminants and the heat/pressure method for producing meat-and-bone meal;

Calls upon the Commission to prepare a proposal obliging Member States to report annually to the
18.
Commission and Parliament the outcome of enforcement of all relevant EU legislation concerning the beef
sector and animal nutrition and inspection, especially the total number, frequency and place of hygiene
inspections in feedingstuff production and the beef sector;

Underlines its call for an emergency system (using temporary injunctions) which would enable the
19.
Commission to take immediate action when Community standards are not properly implemented or their
implementation monitored in the Member States, as the infringement proceedings pursuant to Article 226
of the Treaty take too much time to ensure consumer protection against immediate risks;

Points out that, at present, no common provisions exist to combat scrapie and, therefore, calls on

20.
the Council to examine, at last, the TSE Regulation;

Underlines that the open declaration of all ingredients which form part of any animal feed produced

21.
and marketed in the EU needs to be delivered by the animal feed industry;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-

22.
ments and parliaments of the Member States.

2.

Incineration of waste ***III

A5-0321/2000

European Parliament legislative resolution on the joint text approved by the Conciliation Commit-
tee for a European Parliament and Council directive on the incineration of waste (C5-0371/2000 3
1998/0289(COD))

(Codecision procedure: third reading)

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee (C5-0371/2000),

(cid:1) having regard to its position at first reading (1) on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the

Council (COM(1998) 558 (2)),

(cid:1) having regard to the amended Commission proposal (COM(1999) 330) (3),

(cid:1) having regard to its position at second reading (4) on the Council common position,

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission’s opinion on Parliament’s amendments to the common position

(COM(2000) 280 (cid:1) C5-0364/2000),

(cid:1) having regard to Article 251(5) of the EC Treaty,

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 83 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of its delegation to the Conciliation Committee (A5-0321/2000),

1.

Approves the joint text;

Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council pursuant to Article 254(1) of

2.
the EC Treaty;

(1) OJ C 219, 30.7.1999, p. 249 and OJ C 279, 1.10.1999, p. 274.
(2) OJ C 372, 2.12.1998, p. 11.
(3) OJ C 150 E, 30.5.2000, p. 1.
(4) OJ C 25, 28.1.2000, p. 17.