Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on "Food safety: the BSE crisis — consequences for consumers and primary producers"
Date: 2001-11-15
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: bovine spongiform encephalopathy, consumer protection, food inspection, foodstuffs legislation, public health

3.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 107/21

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on ‘Food safety: the BSE crisis — consequences for
consumers and primary producers’

(2002/C 107/08)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the decision taken by Commission 5 for Social Policy, Public Health, Consumer
Protection, Research and Tourism on 5 February 2001 to ask the Bureau for authorisation to draw up an
own-initiative opinion on food safety, to be backed up by a supplementary own-initiative opinion drawn
up by Commission 2;

having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 13 February 2001 to instruct Commission 2 for
Agricultural, Rural Development and Fisheries and Commission 5 for Social Policy, Public Health,
Consumer Protection, Research and Tourism to draw up an own-initiative opinion on this matter;

having regard to the measures taken up to now by the European Commission to tackle the BSE crisis and
other epizootic diseases;

having regard to the Commission’s White Paper on Food Safety (COM(1999) 719 final), the CoR’s
opinion on the matter (CdR 77/2000 fin) (1) and the work carried out up to now by the European
Commission in the field of consumer protection;

having regard to the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying
down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Authority and
laying down procedures in matters of
food safety (COM(2000) 716 final) and the opinion of
Commission 5 on this matter (CdR 64/2001 fin) (2);

having regard to the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending
Council Directives 90/425/EEC and 92/118/EEC as regards health requirements for animal by-products
(COM(2000) 573 final);

having regard to the decisive results of the meeting on 7 March 2001 of the working party referred to
below, in which representatives of the European Commission and relevant organisations participated;

having regard to Commission 2’s contribution to the work on food safety (CdR 56/2001) which was
discussed at its meeting on 20 April 2001 (rapporteur: Mr Sodano (I/PES), Councillor, Province of Naples);

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 61/2001 rev. 2) adopted by Commission 5 on 16 July 2001
(rapporteur: Mr Pumberger,
(A/EPP), Mayor of Eberschwang, President of the Federation of Local
Authorities of Upper Austria);

whereas for the purpose of coordinating the work, a joint Commission 2 and Commission 5 working
party was set up, comprising two rapporteurs and 15 members drawn from both commissions and
reflecting the need for geographical and political balance,

adopted the following opinion, by a unanimous vote, at its 41st plenary session, held on 14 and
15 November 2001 (meeting of 15 November).

Views and recommendations

The Committee of the Regions

bility; effective crisis management; quality assurance and
checks; research; and specific concrete measures to restore
consumer confidence;

takes the view that

1.
the BSE problem has twofold
implications, concerning action to protect public health on the
one hand, and changes in the agri-food structure of the Union
on the other;

would first of all point out that there are basically five
2.
factors which play the most
important role in ensuring
constructive and forward-looking cooperation in the field of
food safety in Europe; these factors are as follows: responsi-

(1) OJ C 226, 8.8.2000, p. 7.
(2) OJ C 357, 14.12.2001, p. 22.

3.
believes that the consequences of the most recent crises
over epizootic diseases and the scandals which have occurred
in the food sector extend beyond the loss of consumer
confidence and serious market disruptions as these crises have
created the impression amongst the general public that it is
not just consumer protection machinery that is in need of
fundamental improvement and reform but also the Common
Agricultural Policy itself, the quality of products and the
distribution of funding;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

3.5.2002

4.
proposes that steps be taken to ensure that the economic
burden caused by a misguided trend in the agri-food system,
as hitherto conceived, does not fall solely on one party but is
distributed and borne by the whole community, bearing in
mind that a wide range of players are involved, from the
producer via the middleman to the consumer;

5.
considers that it is right to interpret the BSE crisis as the
possible tip of a wider problem (dioxin, hormones, GMO and
so on) that is jeopardising food safety and therefore requires
firm and decisive action by the Commission; and takes the
view that the Member States, local and regional authorities and
socio-economic organisations must help in the framing of a
Community policy to safeguard public health;

particularly highlights

6.
the need for clearly-defined
responsibilities at the respective levels and clarification of who
is responsible for food safety at EU, national and regional level;
and stresses that the only lasting and sustainable solution
offering a rational and coherent policy in this field is an all-
embracing approach which encompasses all elements and
policy areas involved in the food production chain and that
only in this way can the legitimate demands of European
consumers as regards food safety be met;

7.
also supports the European Commission’s endeavours to
formulate a comprehensive, uniform blueprint for regulating
the food production chain with a view to ensuring a high level
of protection (general principles, procedures, early warning
system in respect of both food and animal feed, food safety
procedures, standard definitions, principles and joint measures,
establishment of a European Food Authority); however, this
blueprint should not be formulated so as to impede the pursuit
of a market-oriented approach and liberalisation in the food
sector;

8.
calls upon the European Commission to act rigorously
and introduce high (the most stringent) standards for a single
European market in agricultural inputs (covering, for example,
plant protection products and the authorisation of veterinary
medicinal products) in order to avoid distortions of compe-
tition in this sector in the future and to restore cross-border
consumer confidence in agricultural products;

9.
demands that the Member States strictly observe existing
animal health and hygiene provisions in respect of animal
products and by-products (this applies to the production,
marketing and importing into the EU of products of animal
origin and also the disposal and treatment of animal waste) and
that they carry out their supervisory obligations thoroughly in
connection with the official inspection of food, animal feed
and plant protection products; and calls upon the European
Commission to urge the Member States to comply with these
requirements;

10.
proposes that support for the current research initiat-
ives be further stepped up in order to enable scientifically-
backed measures to be taken to tackle the current problems
on a long term basis, too, thereby making it possible for the
current crisis management approach to give way to a preven-
tive, precautionary approach; in this context there is a need to
promote training measures for the players working throughout
the food chain and to ensure the necessary technical back-up;
research activities should also be continued at EU level under
the fifth and sixth RTD Framework Programmes;

calls for the dialogue between farmers and consumers
11.
to be relaunched; and takes the view that,
for example,
local/regional methods of agricultural production and market-
ing are highly suited to restoring and safeguarding consumer
confidence, since in such cases in particular consumers can
readily — and, generally, very clearly — picture where the
animals come from, whether they have been properly reared,
what they have been fed, and what other production factors
are involved;

12.
considers that in the medium to long term, the aim
should be to put into effect a European agri-food system that
rejects any form of risk to consumers justified solely under the
generic principle of globalisation, particularly when strong
social interests are at stake, such as health, environmental
protection, and social and territorial cohesion;

13.
draws attention to the vital need for a European
agricultural model which not only promotes the use of the
whole of the rural environment and the multifunctionality of
agriculture but, above all, is based on the principle of quality
production, which is of fundamental importance to consumer
safety; and attaches equal importance to the introduction of a
rigorous system for facilitating the traceability of food and the
provision of full information for consumers;

strongly urges all political bodies and all the players
14.
concerned to speed up progress towards the achievement in
all areas of an agricultural sector which is economically,
ecologically and socially sustainable and in tune with the
environment, and also, inter alia, to promote organic culti-
vation methods and gear production methods to the interests
of consumers, with due regard to environmental protection
and the competitiveness of rural areas and the need to give top
priority to food safety and quality and diversity in food
production;

15.
intends to play an active part in the framing of the
measures to be adopted in the wake of the White Paper on
food safety, as well as providing a local viewpoint on the
major challenge of establishing a European food and agri-
culture model; and thinks that this can be done by deploying
all available instruments for adjusting any CAP measures
which run counter to an environmentally sustainable form of
economic development that safeguards public health;

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proposes,

in the field of

livestock farming,

16.
that
measures be adopted to support the non-intensive rearing of
indigenous breeds of cattle, as a way of promoting biodiversity,
and that a generalised restructuring of animal husbandry
policy under Agenda 2000 be carried out, with a gradual
switch to forms of livestock farming which are in tune with
animal-welfare requirements and,
in particular, a gradual
switch to organic production;

also points out that consumer confidence in food safety
18.
is dependent upon the provision of
transparent, readily
comprehensible, objective information and a proper descrip-
tion of the associated risks; and therefore calls for broadly-
based education and information campaigns to be stepped up
in the EU;

17.
takes the view that the ban on meat-and-bone meal will
lead to an increase in imports of plant-based proteins, a sector
in which the EU is at present highly dependent on imports
from outside the Community; dependence on these imports
must be reduced by renegotiating the WTO agreements and
by pursuing a policy under the CAP of encouraging EU
production of non-GM oil crops rich in protein; inclusion of
these crops as part of arable crop rotation would also help
promote environmental conservation;

19.
supports, at all events, the continued implementation
of information campaigns by the European Commission or
organisations in the Member States in order to inform
consumers about: basic aspects of food safety (the variety of
eating habits in Europe, the labelling of food, the indication of
additives, the traceability of food, food hygiene and GMOs),
animal welfare and the prevention and combating of epizootic
diseases; the importance of consumer associations; and the
role to be played by the public itself.

Brussels, 15 November 2001.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Jos CHABERT