WRITTEN QUESTION E-2751/01 by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Food irradiation.
Date: 2001-10-09
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European standard, Sweden, aromatic plant, consultation procedure, foodstuff, irradiation, labelling

18.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 93 E/185

(2002/C 93 E/220)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2749/01

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(9 October 2001)

Subject: Antibiotics in animal feed

According to the Accession Treaty Sweden was entitled to maintain its ban on the use of antibiotics,
chemotherapy products, coccidiostats and growth promoters in foodstuffs until 31 December 1998. The
EU is now reappraising certain special risk antibiotics and all substances in this field are to be reappraised
by 1 October 2003. Just before the end of 1998 the Commission decided that four types of antibiotics
should be banned in animal feed. Sweden however has a ban a further four types of antibiotics and
therefore invoked the safeguard clause on the protection of human or animal health in Council Directive
70/524/EEC (1) concerning additives in feedingstuffs. Sweden forwarded the documentation to the
Commission for assessment.

What was the result of that assessment?

(1) OJ L 270, 14.12.1970, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(20 November 2001)

Acting in compliance with Article 11 (2) of Council Directive 70/524/EEC of 23 November 1970
concerning additives in feeding-stuffs (1) the Commission examined the grounds provided by Sweden and
consulted the Member States within the Standing Committee for Feedingstuffs and the Scientific
Committee for animal nutrition.

The evaluation by the Scientific Committee for animal nutrition was meanwhile overshadowed by the
general report on antimicrobial resistance adopted in June 1999 by the Scientific Steering Committee. The
report recommended the phasing out and final abolition of the growth promoting use of antibiotics. The
Commission considered it necessary to amend Directive 70/524/EEC acting thus in compliance with
Article 11(3) of the Directive. This action is part of the Commission White paper on food safety.

Currently a draft proposal on feed additives is being prepared for Commission adoption by the beginning
of 2002. The proposal will provide, inter alia, for the phasing out of all antibiotics for use as growth
promoters in the Community.

(1) OJ L 270, 14.12.1970, as amended by Council Directive 1999/20/EC of 22 March 1999, OJ L 80, 25.3.1999.

(2002/C 93 E/221)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2751/01

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(9 October 2001)

Subject: Food irradiation

On 21 May 1997 the Member States agreed to approve the irradiation of foodstuffs. The Swedish
Government opposed the proposal, but had to be content with a provision that all irradiated food had to
be labelled as such. At the time only spices were approved for irradiation in Sweden. The Council decision
meant that certain other foodstuffs might be irradiated if it was considered appropriate on technical,
commercial or other grounds. The foodstuffs then authorised for irradiation were dried aromatic herbs,
vegetable seasonings and all other species.

C 93 E/186

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2002

Before this decision, authorisation in Sweden applied only to spices if there were no other acceptable way
of combating salmonella bacteria. Sweden was forced to give ground.

Since 1989 there has been a ban on the import of irradiated foodstuffs into Sweden, and this ban
continues to apply apart from the new list. But in the new situation the Swedish negotiators have now
become uncertain whether it is legally tenable.

But at the same time the Council decided to call on the Commission to submit a final list of foodstuffs
authorised for irradiation, in the next few years and at all events by the end of 2002.

What progress has the Commission made on this list?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(20 November 2001)

Irradiated foods are regulated by the framework Directive 1999/2/EC of the Parliament and Council of
22 February 1999 on the approximation of the laws of Member States concerning foods and food
ingredients treated with ionising radiation (1), which covers general and technical aspects for carrying out
irradiated foods and conditions for authorising food irradiation, and the
the process,
labelling of
implementing Directive 1999/3/EC of
the Parliament and Council of 22 February 1999, on the
establishment of a Community list of foods and food ingredients authorised for treatment with ionising
radiation (1).

Directives 1999/2/EC and 1999/3/EC became applicable on 20 September 2000. Since 20 March 2001, all
irradiated foods and food ingredients on the Community market must comply with the provisions of the
Directives, including labelling.

‘dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings’

During the discussions leading to the adoption of the above-mentioned Directives, the Council and the
Parliament agreed only on a single food category to be authorised Community wide for irradiation
treatment:
(Annex of Directive 1999/3/EC). A
requirement was introduced into Directive 1999/2/EC that the Commission should forward a proposal to
complete the Community positive list of foodstuffs authorised for irradiation, to be adopted through the
co-decision procedure. Meanwhile, Member States can maintain existing national authorisations for
irradiation of certain foodstuffs and can continue to apply existing national restrictions or bans in
compliance with the EC Treaty.

Before submitting a proposal for a Community positive list to the Council and the Parliament, the
Commission started an open discussion with consumer organisations, industry organisations and other
interested parties by launching in autumn 2000 a consultation paper on the strategy for drawing up the
positive list.

From the comments received, the Commission drew the conclusion that the subject needed broader
discussion before a proposal
foodstuffs authorised for
irradiation treatment could be developed. Therefore, on 8 August 2001, the Commission adopted a
‘Communication on foods and food ingredients authorised for treatment with ionising radiation in the
Community’ (2) which has been transmitted to the European Parliament and the Council.

to complete the Community positive list of

(1) OJ L 66, 13.3.1999.
(2) OJ C 241, 29.8.2001.