WRITTEN QUESTION E-2601/01 by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Risk to consumers caused by germ contamination of meat.
Date: 2001-09-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal welfare, consumer protection, foodstuff, health control, protection of animals, public health, transport of animals

C 115 E/132

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

16.5.2002

Answer given by Ms Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(12 November 2001)

The Commission has no specific information about the supermarket chain mentioned by the Honourable
Member.

The Commission takes the view that it is up to the national authorities to judge whether enterprises have
infringed legislation and/or collective agreements on working conditions.

The fact that the headquarters of an enterprise can be located in another Member State does not prevent
the legislation of the Member State in which the workers usually work from being applied.

In its Green Paper on corporate social responsibility (1) adopted on 18 July 2001, the Commission has
underlined that a major challenge for enterprises today is to attract and retain skilled workers. In this
context, relevant measures could include life-long learning, empowerment of employees, better information
throughout the company, better balance between work, family and leisure, greater workforce diversity,
equal pay and career prospects for women, profit sharing and share ownership schemes and concern for
employability as well as job security.

(1) COM(2001) 366 final.

(2002/C 115 E/135)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2601/01

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(26 September 2001)

Subject: Risk to consumers caused by germ contamination of meat

1.
Is the Commission aware that the stress caused to animals when being transported can result in
massive infiltration of germs into their intestinal mucous membranes, which passes from there via the
lymph and blood systems into the entire organism, with a result that eating organs such as the liver and
spleen in particular, but also muscle meat, can produce food poisoning in consumers, which in severe
cases can prove fatal?

2.
Even on relatively unstressful journeys tests have found intestinal germs in the carcasses of 20 to
25 % of animals. As the animals affected appear to be healthy, bacteriological tests are not usually carried
out and the consumer is therefore not protected from stress-related germ-contamination of meat. Is the
Commission making any effort to tackle this consumer protection problem, and if so how?

It has to be assumed that animals for slaughter are subject to stress not related to transport. Is the
3.
Commission aware of this risk to consumers? What measures to prevent stress in animals for slaughter has
the Commission adopted, and what checks are carried out on compliance with the existing rules?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(31 October 2001)

The Commission is aware that physiological changes may be induced in animals by stress, as referred to by
the Honourable Member. Community legislation takes account of relevant scientific and technical
knowledge in the fields of food hygiene and animal welfare.

16.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 115 E/133

At present, Community legislation, addressed to Member States and implemented under the responsibility
of their competent authorities, provides for a considerable number of measures to ensure the safety and
suitability of fresh meat. In particular, these measures are to be found in Council Directive 64/433/EEC of
26 June 1964 on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in fresh meat (1), Council Directive
91/628/EEC of 19 November 1991, on the protection of animals during transport (2) and Council Directive
93/119/EC of 22 December 1993 on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing (3). Great
importance is attached in the first Directive to the hygienic production of meat, and,
in the other
Directives, to the avoidance of stress in animals during loading, transport, unloading and handling of the
animals up to and including stunning or slaughter.

The opinion of the Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health (SCVMPH) on
Food-borne Zoonoses of 12 April 2000 (4) emphasises the ubiquitous nature and/or multiple sources of
certain pathogenic micro-organisms on the route from farm to fork. The opinion also makes some
suggestions in relation to their prevention or management. The Commission recently adopted Decision
2001/471/EC of 8 June 2001 laying down rules for regular checks on the general hygiene carried out by
the operators in establishments (5). The Decision provides, among other things, that before 8 June 2002 all
operators must conduct frequent and regular checks on samples from those carcass sites where risk of
microbiological contamination is most likely to occur.

The opinion of the SCVMPH of 23 September 1999 concerned the evaluation of microbiological criteria
for food products of animal origin for human consumption and that of 24 February 2000 concerned the
revision of meat inspection procedures. A further opinion, adopted on 20-21 June 2001, on identification
of species/categories of meat-producing animals in integrated production systems where meat inspection
may be revised, refers to the opinion of 2000. It noted the recommendation for the introduction of an
alternative meat inspection system in fattening pigs, minimising cross-contamination by avoiding incision
and palpation on the slaughter-line. It also quoted the following. ‘The reduction of post mortem handling,
requires the application of a vertically integrated plant-driven quality assurance system.
however,
Microbiological
testing of carcasses for food pathogens should be compared against microbiological
standards established and monitored by the competent authority.’ The series of scientific opinions has
enabled the Commission to commence work on two particular projects with experts from the Member
States. The first concerns a proposal for updating and establishing microbiological criteria covering the
whole food chain, based on the latest developments in food science and intended to improve the safety of
consumers’ food. The second concerns modernising ante- and post mortem inspections while taking into
consideration intensive breeding and new associated patholologies.

(1) OJ B 121, 29.7.1964.
(2) OJ L 340, 11.12.1991.
(3) OJ L 340, 31.12.1993.
(4) http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scv/outcome_en.html#opinions.
(5) OJ L 165, 21.6.2001.

(2002/C 115 E/136)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2604/01

by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 September 2001)

Subject: German Regulation on packaging F discrimination relating to packaging for beverages

The current German Regulation on packaging provides for obligatory deposits on the packaging of certain
beverages, to take effect when the reuse of packaging in respect of one class of beverage falls below 72 %.
A far lower figure, 20 %, applies to milk.