WRITTEN QUESTION E-0303/02 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Pan-European system of animal traceability.
Date: 2002-02-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: database, exchange of information, health control, livestock, livestock farming, traceability, veterinary legislation

C 172 E/178

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2002

Does the Commission have information concerning the level of atmospheric emissions for each

1.
Member State of the EU?

2.

Is it satisfied by urban environment policy in Greece and if not what are the problems?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(21 March 2002)

The Commission has a number of ways of accessing emission data from Member States, both of
‘conventional’ air pollutants (such as sulphur and nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds) and
greenhouse gases. Both the Community and Member States are parties to international conventions such as
the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air
Pollution and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which oblige countries to
report their emissions data. The European Environment Agency plays an important role in collecting and
processing the data for the Community.

Recently adopted instruments at Community level such as Directive 2001/81/EC of the Parliament and of
the Council of 23 October 2001 on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants (1) and
the Polluting Emissions Register under Council Directive 96/61/EC of 24 September 1996 concerning
integrated pollution prevention and control (2) will provide further mechanisms for obtaining emissions
data.

As far as the urban environment is concerned, the Commission has a number of measures in place that
address the quality of the urban environment. These include programmes and legislation in areas, such as
air, water, waste, transport and spatial development. In this respect, progress with regard to the quality of
the urban environment is frequently assessed in all Member States and where legislation is not satisfactorily
complied with, appropriate action is taken. In addition, as required by the 6th Environment Action
Programme, the Commission will be producing a thematic strategy on the urban environment. This will
further serve to support action to monitor, manage and improve urban environments in all Member States,
including Greece.

Greece faces particular problems in relation to the quality of the urban environment in areas such as water
treatment, air pollution, traffic control and waste management. The Commission is keen to see that these
are addressed and will ensure that current obligations are met and that, where appropriate, future measures
address specific problems and circumstances.

(1) OJ L 309, 27.11.2001.
(2) OJ L 257, 10.10.1996.

(2002/C 172 E/187)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0303/02

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 February 2002)

Subject: Pan-European system of animal traceability

The European Commission has spent EUR 6 million under the Telematics Application Programme
(1994-1998) to investigate the potential for a pan-European integrated veterinary surveillance system.
Given that the national animal traceability systems are of varying quality and capability and are not
integrated with payment and anti-fraud systems, that poor traceability was a crucial factor in the spread of

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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foot-and-mouth disease during 2001 and that new technologies allow for electronic tagging and more
effective traceability, will the Commission now consider encouraging the development of a high-quality
pan-European system of animal traceability?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 2002)

Current Union legislation includes several provisions on animal traceability.

For bovine animals Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000,
establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of
beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 (1), obliges Member States to
establish a computerised database. This database must include information on the identity of all bovine
animals, all holdings with bovine animals and all movements of bovine animals.

For pigs, sheep and goats provisions are laid down in Council Directive 92/102/EEC of 27 November 1992
on the identification and registration of animals (2).

In addition, Council Directive 64/432/EEC of 26 June 1964 on health problems affecting intra-Community
trade in bovine animals and swine (3), as last amended by Directive 2000/15/EC of the Parliament and the
Council of 10 April 2000 (4) and Commission Decision 2000/678/EC of 23 October 2000 laying down
detailed rules for registration of holdings in national databases for porcine animals as foreseen by Council
Directive 64/432/EEC (5), obliges Member States to establish a computerised database for pigs. This
database shall include information on holdings with pigs and movement of pigs.

The Commission has funded the research, development and deployment of the Eurovet animal tracking
software system. This system facilitates the integration of the different systems currently used by the
different authorities in the Member States and the transfer of animal movement data between national
systems.

The Commission is currently drafting a proposal on a new system for identification and registration of
sheep and goats that improves the current system for these species. It is foreseen that this new system shall
include a computer database.

Concerning electronic identification the Commission has financed the IDEA project with the main
objective to study the feasibility and the evaluation of the performance of an electronic identification
system in ruminants (cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats).

The final report of the IDEA project will be available shortly. In view of the efficiencies arising from
electronic identification it is the intention of the Commission to propose provisions for such identification
as soon as this means of identification is developed to such a stage that it can be applied throughout the
Community.

The Commission is continuously considering the emergence of new technologies that would allow the
development of higher quality traceability systems for animals and the possibility of their implementation
throughout the Community.

(1) OJ L 204, 11.8.2000.
(2) OJ L 355, 5.12.1992.
(3) OJ P 121, 29.7.1964.
(4) OJ L 105, 3.5.2000.
(5) OJ L 281, 7.11.2000.