WRITTEN QUESTION P-2748/02 by Peter Skinner (PSE) to the Commission. Illegal importation of meat from Africa.
Date: 2002-09-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: consumer protection, customs regulations, food safety, game meat, health legislation, illicit trade, import restriction, protection of animals

C 92 E/204

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

(2003/C 92 E/264)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2748/02

by Peter Skinner (PSE) to the Commission

(23 September 2002)

Subject: Illegal importation of meat from Africa

With regard to the use of animals in Africa for ‘bush meat’, which is then illegally imported to Europe, can
the Commission tell me of any measures that it is able to take in order to stop this illicit trade, thereby
reducing the potential hazard of infected meat reaching the European Union?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(25 October 2002)

A number of Community measures are relevant to the issue of illicit bushmeat trade and the associated
health risks:

(cid:1) Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna
and flora by regulating trade therein (1)
trade in
endangered species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) in the Union. Under this Regulation the import
of certain species endangered by the bushmeat crisis or parts thereof, like gorillas and chimpanzees, is
either completely prohibited or requires import and export documents.

implements the Convention on international

The task of stopping the illegal trade in any CITES-listed species lies mainly with the Member States.
Regulation (EC) No 338/97 provides that Member States designate customs offices for carrying out
checks and formalities, which shall be provided with sufficient and adequately trained staff. It also
contains provisions regarding the monitoring of compliance, the investigation of infringements and
sanctions. The Commission can only play a limited role in this respect, e.g. by communicating
information or raising the awareness of Member States’ authorities.

(cid:1) Council Directive 92/45/EEC of 16 June 1992 on public health and animal health problems relating
to the killing of wild game and the placing on the market of wild-game meat (2) requests that the meat
of wild land mammals which is imported for commercial trade has to originate in a country which is
explicitly approved for such meat. The meat being sent under the coverage of a veterinary certification
issued by the competent authority of the exporting country shall be checked for veterinary purposes
on its arrival to the Community border post of entry (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)).

In the case of bushmeat sent to or carried by individuals, the Commission is adopting new rules for
avoiding the health risk that such traffic poses by requesting re-enforcement of controls at any point
of entry into the Community territory. They envisage that travel operators make their passengers
aware of the strict conditions for introducing any kind of meat when they enter the Community and
that Member States proceed with controls on the passengers’ luggage in order to restrict unauthorised
meat.

(cid:1) Finally,

in the framework of cooperation efforts in Central African region, the major source of
bushmeat in Africa, EUR 70 million have been deployed in support of tropical rainforest conservation
over the past 10 years.

The Central African regional programme under the 9th European Development Fund envisages continued
assistance to tropical forest conservation and rational management. This assistance will contribute to
efforts to eradicate poaching through protection legislation, monitoring and surveillance, community based
natural resource management, training and research.

(1) OJ L 61, 3.3.1997.
(2) OJ L 268, 14.9.1992.
(3) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998.