WRITTEN QUESTION P-1375/02 by Dorette Corbey (PSE) to the Commission. Strategy for BSE in sheep.
Date: 2002-05-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal health, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, dissemination of information, environmental risk prevention, health control, health risk, public health, sheep

C 52 E/64

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.3.2003

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(20 June 2002)

The Commission has closely followed the issue of farmed sea bass and sea bream market prices in the
Union, there have not been any indications of violations of applicable Community regulations. The
Commission is keeping regular contacts with both national authorities of the Member States as well as
producers in order to have a clear view of the situation.

the existing regulation by the national authorities, which are responsible for

The financial instrument for fisheries guidance (FIFG) subsidies to aquaculture in Greece are granted in the
framework of
the
implementation and monitoring of the multi-annual plans for fisheries. The Commission has already
suggested to the Greek authorities the implementation of a computer-based system to monitor the
parameters of the farms producing sea bass and sea bream. The use of this system, that is currently under
development, may allow for reliable forecasts of future production thus avoiding overproduction.

The Commission has already stressed in the Green Paper (1) that it considers that the market has to be the
driving force of aquaculture development, and that it is questionable whether the Community should
continue to subsidise investments by private companies in production capacity for species where the
market is close to saturation. Future Community initiatives in favour of aquaculture development will be
taken along these lines.

The situation of the market for farmed sea bass and sea bream was discussed at the meeting of the
Management Committee for Fisheries Products on 9 April 2002 and at a special meeting between the
Commission and the Member States most concerned on 16 May 2002. None of these meetings has given a
clearer view of whether there is a structural crisis or whether problems currently encountered are of a
seasonal nature. In this respect, the Member States concerned committed to gather further information
with a view to carry out a more in-depth analysis of the situation of the market for these species.

(1) COM(2001) 135 final.

(2003/C 52 E/073)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1375/02

by Dorette Corbey (PSE) to the Commission

(6 May 2002)

Subject: Strategy for BSE in sheep

The following quotation is taken from European Report 2674 (10 April 2002).
‘On 5 April, the EU’s
Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) discussed the recent paper from the Stanley Prusiner team indicating
that certain skeletal muscles of scrapie-infected mice are infectious and may reproduce prions (proteins
which spread the disease in animals). The scientists concluded that this could not be directly applied to
BSE in cattle conditions.’ The scientists did, however, not explicitly exclude the possibility of infectious
skeletal muscles reproducing prions in cattle.

Does the Commission agree with the SSC that there is not enough evidence to take measures against
possible BSE in sheep?

In view of the presence of prions in mice muscles, is the Commission of the opinion that it should take
measures in line with the precautionary principle?

Does the Commission consider that this information should be communicated to the public? If so, what
has it done in this respect?

What action will the Commission take to ascertain the potential risks of BSE in sheep?

6.3.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 52 E/65

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(6 June 2002)

The Commission is acutely aware of the theoretical possibility that bovine spongiform encephalopathy
(BSE) might be present in the sheep population. For this reason, it has already taken a number of measures
of a precautionary nature to protect public and animal health from any risk from this quarter.

For example:

(cid:1) the feed ban introduced in 1994 applied to all ruminant animals,
The present ban, of course, covers all farmed animals intended for food;

including sheep and goats.

(cid:1) the harvesting of mechanically recovered meat is banned from bones of bovine, ovine and caprine

animals;

(cid:1) removal of specified risk materials (SRM)

from cattle, sheep and goats came into force in

October 2000.

The SRM list for sheep and goats is based on the December 1997 opinion of the Scientific Steering
Committee (SSC). As late as April 2002, the SSC in its opinion on the safe sourcing of small ruminant
materials again stated that there was no new evidence requiring an alteration of this opinion. In the
present scenario, where BSE in sheep remains only a theoretical possibility, the Commission sees no need
to add muscle or any other tissue to this list. This position is further reinforced by the SSC statement of
4 and 5 April 2002, made specifically on the subject of the 19 March 2002 publication by Professor
Stanley Prusiner’s group, that the Committee currently sees ‘no reason to revise the SSC opinions with
regard to the safety of bovine and sheep muscles’. This opinion was specifically requested by the
Commission in order to establish if the research findings of Professor Prusiner warranted any revision of
existing measures.

In line with the Commission’s policy of transparency and openness, the SSC statement on the Prusiner
research paper, along with all of the SSC opinions, are freely available on the Commission web site (1).
The site also carries an extensive question and answer section on BSE in sheep.

Following the publication of the SSC opinion of 4 and 5 April 2002 on a strategy to investigate the
possible presence of BSE in sheep, the Commission is involved in internal discussions on how to proceed.
The opinion recommends a three-step process beginning with widespread active monitoring of the small
ruminant population for the presence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Regulation (EC)
No 999/2001 of the Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention,
control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (2) already provides for such
monitoring and the levels have been intensified from 1 April 2002. Implementation of the 2nd and 3rd
steps of the process will involve the identification of suitably equipped laboratories and the establishment
of an expert panel for evaluation of the results, among other actions. The Commission intends to come
forward in the coming months with legislation laying down rules for the practical implementation of the
opinion.

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/outcome_en.html.
(2) OJ L 147, 31.5.2001.

(2003/C 52 E/074)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1384/02

by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 May 2002)

Subject: Flexibility and employment

According to the conclusions of the Barcelona Summit, the Member States must revise their employment
policies with a view to ensuring the necessary balance between flexibility and security and creating more
jobs.