WRITTEN QUESTION P-3564/01 by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Food safety.
Date: 2002-01-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: customs harmonisation, fishery product, food inspection, food safety, import (EU)

C 205 E/44

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

(2002/C 205 E/046)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3564/01

by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 January 2002)

Subject: Food safety

In the context of imports of treated fresh fish from third countries, it appears that there are enormous
variations between EU Member States in the nature of the controls operated at the border inspection posts,
as regards the microbiological standards required.

As a result, EU importers are systematically choosing as their points of entry airports located in Member
States where the health standards required at the border inspection posts are lower, and are then
transporting the goods by land to their final destination.

At their end, consumers are thus receiving the goods in worse condition: the systematic increasing of the
number of links in the logistic chain leads to a deterioration in the microbiological condition of the goods.

What measures will be taken to put an immediate end to this situation?

What measures will be taken with a view to harmonising the microbiological controls operated at all
border inspection points in the EU, and on the basis of what timetable?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(19 February 2002)

The importation of fishery products from third countries is governed by Council Directive 91/493/EEC of
22 July 1991 laying down the health conditions for the production and the placing on the market of
fishery products (1). This Directive sets out the health conditions and the checks that must be carried out
on fishery products intended to be placed on the market in the Community, whether they are of
Community origin or imported from third countries. The Directive stipulates,
in particular, that the
conditions applied to products imported from third countries will be at least equivalent to those applied to
Community products.

As regards the microbiological conditions of the fishery products, the microbiological criteria applicable to
the production of cooked crustaceans and molluscan shellfish were harmonised by Commission Decision
93/51/EEC of 15 December 1992 (2). The Scientific Committee is currently assessing the scientific
information available in order to make it possible to establish other harmonised microbiological criteria
for other fishery products, including bivalve molluscs.

The relevant legislative proposals will be drawn up as soon as the Scientific Committee issues its opinions.
Import procedures for products of animal origin are laid down in Council Directive 97/78/EC of
18 December 1997 laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on
products entering the Community from third countries (3), and as regards laboratory testing in border
inspection posts, in Annex D to Commission Decision 93/13/EEC of 22 December 1992 (4).

Annex D. 1 states that:

Pending approval of Community monitoring plans, each Member State must submit consignments of
products presented for importation to a monitoring plan, to verify if Community legislation is
respected, or where applicable national rules, in particular, to detect residues, pathogenic organisms or
other substances dangerous to humans or animals or the environment.

Testing frequencies are therefore the responsibility of the competent authority in the relevant border
inspection post.

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/45

In a Commission working group of Member States specifically convened in December 2001 to discuss the
problem concerning laboratory sampling for chloramphenicol
in shrimps, no firm conclusions on
sampling protocols could be drawn due to lack of information. Recommendations on other aspects of
sampling were however made and notified to Member States in the Standing Veterinary Committee. At
present, information from many Member States concerning their current practices for sampling protocols
is still to be provided by Member States.

The Commission has been, and still
Directive 97/78/EC.

is, working on drawing up further implementing rules for the

(1) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991.
(2) OJ L 13, 21.1.1993.
(3) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998.
(4) OJ L 9, 15.1.1993.

(2002/C 205 E/047)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3576/01

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(9 January 2002)

Subject: Announcement by the Spanish Government concerning a 90 % reduction in the co-financing

allocated to eradicating mad-cow disease

The Spanish Government’s Agriculture Ministry has announced that it intends to reduce by 90 % the co-
financing to be allocated in 2002 to initiatives designed to eradicate mad-cow disease, which means that
Spain’s self-governing regions or farmers themselves will have to meet the high cost of such initiatives.
Experts on mad-cow disease, such as Professor José Badiola, and farmers’ associations in Galicia (a region
which has been particularly affected by BSE) have protested against the Spanish Government’s plans, with
Professor Badiola himself saying that the problem has not been resolved and that the EU should grant
more funding since it is responsible for having allowed the United Kingdom to export meat- and bone-
meal, whilst the associations take the view that, in any event, farmers cannot be held responsible for the
spread of the disease and that the various institutions should tackle the problem. Does the Council
consider the Spanish Government’s plans to be fair? What action is the Council intending to take in order
to ensure that the funds needed to enable bovine spongiform encephalopathy to be eradicated are made
available?

Reply

(13 May 2002)

Decisions on granting funding for national measures are a matter for the Member States, acting in
accordance with the relevant rules of the Treaties.

The Honourable Member will agree therefore that the Council has no role in the specific area of Member
States’ introduction and implementation of national provisions.

On a factual level, the Council would point out that at the 2402nd meeting of the Council of the European
Union (Agriculture) on 19 December 2001 the Commission provided Member States, with their consent,
with a summary of replies to a questionnaire that they had been sent on State aids for disposing of abattoir
waste (in particular specified risk material) and fallen stock.