WRITTEN QUESTION E-0428/01 by Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission. Checks relating to the ban on the sale and use of animal feed containing animal proteins for ruminants.
Date: 2001-02-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal nutrition, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, health legislation, veterinary inspection

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/27

(2001/C 340 E/033)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0428/01

by Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission

(16 February 2001)

Subject: Checks relating to the ban on the sale and use of animal feed containing animal proteins for

ruminants

Following the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 1986, and of the fact that the
disease is spread by the feeding to ruminants of animal meal containing animal proteins, the Commission,
in Decision 90/134/EEC (1), made it obligatory for all Member States to notify instances of the disease. In
the months and years that followed 1990 many other decisions were adopted aimed at preventing the
export and consumption of animals thought to pose a risk.

On 27 June 1994 the Commission adopted Decision 94/381/EC (2), which banned the feeding to
ruminants of proteins of animal origin. The recent cases of BSE identified in numerous Member States
demonstrate that the ban on the use of animal proteins has not been complied with.

In addition, the Commission spends large sums of money on BSE monitoring programmes aimed at
ensuring that potentially suspect meat does not find its way onto the market. It does not appear, however,
that any money is spent on promoting stricter checks on the application of the ban on the use of animal
proteins in animal feeds for ruminants.

Can the Commission say whether the above information is correct?

Does it intend to check what measures have been introduced by the Member States to give effect to the
ban on the sale and distribution of animal feeds containing animal proteins, which, given that they are the
only cause of the spread of the disease, must be got rid of completely?

Is it prepared to examine the possibility of providing for increased and more systematic Community-level
checking in relation to the ban on the manufacture and use of feeds containing animal proteins, in order
to prevent the re-emergence of BSE in the near future?

Does it intend to adopt provisions on the granting of financial aid for monitoring programmes aimed at
preventing the sale and use of feeds containing animal proteins?

(1) OJ L 76, 22.3.1990, p. 23.
(2) OJ L 172, 7.7.1994, p. 23.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(11 June 2001)

Protection of consumer health is one of the prime objectives of the Commission. Any potential health risk
relating to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
taken extremely seriously. To this end,
a comprehensive series of Community measures has been put in place.

is

It is true that some of these measures have been co-financed by the Community. However, their objectives
did not only apply to BSE monitoring but also to BSE eradication, public health protection and support of
the beef market.

With respect to compliance with the recent prohibition to feed farmed animals with processed animal
the Commission has already received information from the Member States regarding its
proteins,
implementation. This information was provided in response to a questionnaire that was sent to the
Member States on 5 January 2001. It enabled the Commission to obtain a comprehensive picture of the
way in which the measures are being implemented. The results were broadly satisfactory and an
implementation report has been presented to the Member States on 29 January 2001.

Member States are responsible for implementation and enforcement of Community law. Their performance
is monitored by inspectors of the Food and Veterinary Office, who visited the Member States in this
respect in December 2000 and early in 2001. The reports of these controls are expected to be finalised
and published on Internet shortly. A second round of inspections is already being prepared. With regard to
the above prohibition, Article 3(4) of Commission Decision 2001/9/EC of 29 December 2000 concerning

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Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

control measures required for the implementation of Council Decision 2000/766/EC concerning certain
protection measures with regard to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and the feeding of animal
protein (1) requires documentary checks and tests to be carried out on feed materials and compound
feedingstuffs throughout the production and distribution chain to ensure compliance with this prohibition.

There is no Community financing foreseen to monitor the ban on sale and use of feeds containing animal
proteins.

(1) OJ L 2, 5.1.2001.

(2001/C 340 E/034)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0429/01

by Raffaele Lombardo (PPE-DE) to the Council

(20 February 2001)

Subject: Effective and timely action to ascertain and combat the effects of the use of uranium- and

plutonium-enriched projectiles

In view of the strong sense of loyalty shown by the countries belonging to NATO and their genuine shared
support for the ideas, aims and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter to which they are all
committed, and given the recent alarm caused by unanswered questions surrounding the death of a number
European soldiers who had taken part in peace-keeping operations in the former Yugoslavia, can the
Council say:

(cid:129) whether it considers it necessary,

transparency and full
cooperation, to find out from the relevant NATO authorities, as a matter of urgency, exactly where
uranium- and plutonium-enriched explosive projectiles were used, as well as to ask for the full
disclosure of the technical data relating to the manufacture of such weapons;

in accordance with the principles of

(cid:129) whether it intends actively to support the holding of an international inquiry into the use of and the
effects of deadly weapons of this sort, in view of the expert evidence provided by specialised UN
bodies and various regional organisations;

(cid:129) whether it considers it necessary to impose a strict moratorium on the use of uranium-enriched
projectiles, as called for by the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe, until such time as scientists have cleared up the doubts that exist about the harm they cause
or established that they do in fact pose a danger to human health;

(cid:129) whether it intends to extend the remit of such an inquiry to include the effects of the attacks on and
industrial sites during bombing missions which led to the release into the

the destruction of
environment of numerous toxic substances;

(cid:129) whether it is prepared to undertake a timely and detailed epidemiological survey of the civilian

population and the military personnel who have been exposed to radiation;

(cid:129) whether it is prepared to clean up the environments which have been contaminated, starting with

grazing land and water resources in the areas affected?

Reply

(10 July 2001)

During the discussion on the occasion of the meeting of the Council (General Affairs) of 22 January 2001,
Ministers called for full transparency and open exchange of information between the authorities of the
Member States, as well as with other organisations investigating the use of depleted uranium in munitions.
There was general agreement that in the first instance it was for NATO, as the institution organising crisis
management in Balkans, to assemble the information from participants on the use of depleted uranium, on
the locations of troops and on medical data.