WRITTEN QUESTION E-0829/01 by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission. Research into and further development of BSE tests.
Date: 2001-03-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU research policy, beef, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, consumer protection, disease prevention, food safety, medical research

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/103

(2001/C 340 E/118)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0827/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(28 March 2001)

Subject: Publication of limits on residues by the fifteen EU Member States

On 30 March 2000,
John McCartin, MEP, tabled a written question to the Commission concerning
(E-1114/00 (1)). On the basis of
(cid:145)maximum permissible residue limits and residue surveillance policy(cid:146)
data provided by the pharmaceutical industry, the CVMP in London determines maximum permissible
residues for the active ingredients of veterinary medicines destined for use in food-producing animals.

The fifteen EU Member States are required by law to submit their food-residue monitoring programmes for
the coming year and the results for the previous year to the Commission. The results indicate the incidence
of residues from veterinary medicines in food samples from the European Union.

Only one EU Member State (cid:129) the United Kingdom (cid:129) publishes such detailed results every three months.
The other Member States fail to comply or else publish incomplete information, in some cases on the
Internet. Yet complete and transparent publication of such residue results by all EU Member States could
promote consumer confidence.

Can the Council confirm that only one EU Member State (cid:129) the United Kingdom (cid:129) publishes a detailed
overview of residues of veterinary medicines detected in food samples every three months? If not, do other
EU Member States similarly publish (at the same intervals and in the same degree of detail) the quantities
of residues detected in food samples?

(1) OJ C 53 E, 20.2.2001, p. 77.

Reply

(16 July 2001)

The Council would remind the Honourable Member that the Treaty entrusted the Commission with
ensuring that Community regulations are applied. The Commission alone, therefore, is in a position to
confirm the information he has given.

The Council would, moreover, draw attention to the reply given by the Commission on 29 May 2000 to
Mr McCartin(cid:146)s question, containing useful information in the fields referred to by the Honourable Member.

(2001/C 340 E/119)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0829/01

by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission

Subject: Research into and further development of BSE tests

(20 March 2001)

From 1 April 2001 BSE tests are to be compulsory throughout Europe for beef cattle. The purpose of
these extensive texts is to ascertain the degree of BSE contamination and restore consumer confidence.

Essential requirements here are sound procedures for collecting evidence and solid knowhow derived from
studies into the epidemiology of the disease. However, no test has so far been able to identify all BSE-
infected cattle, and mention is consistently made of a degree of residual uncertainty that also remains in
the event of a negative test result.

C 340 E/104

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

This prompts the following questions:

(cid:129) Has research been commissioned by the Commission into the development of BSE tests or the further

development of the tests used to date?

(cid:129) If so, what financial resources are used to support such research and from what sources are the funds

made available?

(cid:129) Are there plans in the relevant Directorate-General to fix research priorities? If so, what are these

priorities?

(cid:129) Are the research units interconnected? If not, why not? If so, how are research findings coordinated?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(31 May 2001)

The development of diagnostic tests in animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs) has been
one of the major priorities in the European Action Plan on TSE adopted by the Council and the Parliament
in November 1996 and implemented by three specific calls for proposals involving the Biomed, Biotech
and Fair Research and technological development (RTD) Programmes of the Fourth framework programme
(FP). In the Fifth FP research on TSE diagnosis is covered in different Key Actions of the Programme
Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources.

A total of 9 projects are currently on-going on diagnosis of animal TSEs with a Community contribution
of € 9,4 million plus two European networks amounting to € 3,1 million.

Following a request from the Research Council of 16 November 2000 an expert group on TSE Research
has been established. This group has examined the status of TSE research across Europe and has identified
priorities for research. These priorities may form the basis for a special call for proposals on TSE research
this year. Research leading to the development of tests for TSEs may be among these priorities.

The co-ordinators of the research projects meet on a regular basis to exchange experience and results. The
Commission is also taking the leadership in organising TSE research co-ordinators meetings, in order to
assess the advancement of research and to assure that information is well disseminated. Moreover, the
institutional partnerships established through the different types of research projects, such as shared cost,
concerted actions and thematic networks, do promote and strengthen the necessary interconnections
between research units.

The results generated through the research projects are transmitted to relevant Commission services such
as Directorate general (DG) Health and Consumer Protection (SANCO) for eventual consideration by the
Scientific Steering Committee.

Since 1998, the Commission(cid:146)s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has evaluated and validated tests for the
detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) infection in central nervous tissues of slaughtered
animals as well for the analysis of feed and food, especially in respect to the presence of meat and bone
meal in animal feed, or risk material in food.

Acting as the Commission(cid:146)s reference centre, the JRC works on behalf of DG SANCO and in collaboration
with leading Community expert institutes. Two JRC Institutes are engaged in this research, namely the
Institute for Reference Materials and Measurement (IRMM) in Geel, Belgium, which validates tests for BSE
infection and produces testing samples and reference materials, and the Institute for Health and Consumer
Protection (IHCP) in Ispra, Italy, which concentrates on the quality control of animal feed and the detection
of risk material in food.