WRITTEN QUESTION E-1254/01 by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) and María Rodríguez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. Use of dehydrated alfalfa for animal feed.
Date: 2001-04-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal nutrition, desiccated product, lucerne, substitute product, vegetable protein

11.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 350 E/101

In order to ensure the information was disseminated as widely as possible, the Commission published the
text of the call for proposals in the Official Journal (1) and on the Education and Culture DG(cid:146)s Internet page
on the (cid:145)Europa(cid:146) server. The latter allows interested parties to directly download the electronic version of the
forms to be completed. The text of the call for proposals is also attached to all grant application forms sent
out to interested parties.

With regard to the specific questions raised by the Honourable Member:

1.

In the Commission(cid:146)s view, good management practice requires that the rules contained in the call for
proposals are applied uniformly and without exception to all applications submitted, particularly as
this leads to better and speedier administration, which benefits the recipients themselves.

The call for proposals includes a closing date for the submission of completed grant applications; this
date is the same for all interested parties. For reasons of equality, therefore, it is stated clearly in the
(cid:145)After the deadline for submission of the
last paragraph of the text of the call
application has elapsed the dossier may not be modified in any way(cid:146).

for proposals:

2. 187 of the applications submitted in the first tranche of the call did not fulfil the conditions of

eligibility.

(1) OJ C 320, 9.11.2000.

(2001/C 350 E/110)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1254/01

by Mar(cid:237)a Sornosa Mart(cid:237)nez (PSE)
and Mar(cid:237)a Rodr(cid:237)guez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(26 April 2001)

Subject: Use of dehydrated alfalfa for animal feed

Following the banning of meal of animal origin because of BSE disease, dehydrated alfalfa looks to be one
of the most viable alternatives for feeding to cattle. Increasing the cultivation of this kind of fodder, of
which five million tonnes are produced per year at present, could be the way of avoiding an increase in
imports of genetically modified soya from third countries.

According to the European Inter-Union Committee for Dehydrated Foodstuffs (CIDE) alfalfa is preferable to
soya for its nutritional qualities, financial viability, environmental properties and ease of traceability.

What is the Commission(cid:146)s view of the use of dehydrated alfalfa as an alternative to meal of animal origin
for feeding to livestock?

Would the Commission be disposed to increase the volume of aid to this sector?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(15 June 2001)

The Honourable Member is referred to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the
European Parliament on options to promote the cultivation of plant proteins in the EU (1) and the working
paper on which the latter is based (2). While dehydrated alfalfa clearly has merits from the agricultural
viewpoint and in terms of nutritional value in animal feed, the extra aid needed would generate additional
expenditure and the average opportunity costs per extra tonne soya oilcake-equivalent seem to be
relatively high.

(1) COM(2001) 148 final.
(2) SEC(2001) 431.