WRITTEN QUESTION E-0827/01 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Publication of limits on residues by the fifteen EU Member States.
Date: 2001-03-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: consumer information, dissemination of information, food inspection, food safety, foodstuffs legislation, health legislation, veterinary drug

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.