WRITTEN QUESTION E-0447/03 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. Impact of industrial fishing on the bird population.
Date: 2003-02-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: United Kingdom, bird, common fisheries policy, environmental impact, fishery management, industrial fishing, protection of animal life

14.8.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 192 E/187

protocols to agreements should incorporate the social clause adopted by the sea fishing industry Social
Dialogue Committee meeting in plenary session, on 19 December 2001, in order to ensure that all seamen
sailing on EU vessels may enjoy freedom of association and the right of collective bargaining, suffer no
discrimination, earn a decent wage and benefit from living and working conditions similar to those of EU
seamen.

In what way will the Commission incorporate the social clause when negotiating future fisheries protocols
with third countries?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(21 March 2003)

The Commission intends to systematically propose the inclusion of the social clause agreed by the social
partners in all future negotiations with third countries for the conclusion of fishery agreements or renewals
of fisheries protocols.

(2003/C 192 E/226)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0447/03

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(19 February 2003)

Subject: Impact of industrial fishing on the bird population

Has the Commission asked for any studies to investigate the consequences of industrial fishing for the sand
eel population and the knock-on effects on the bird population, which seems to have been seriously
compromised in UK coastal waters?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 2003)

During the last decade, a sandeel fishery developed in the north-west North Sea, off the Firth of Forth. This
is an important breeding area for seabirds, and the removal of large quantities of sandeel, within their
foraging range, soon became a matter of concern. The United Kingdom called for a moratorium on sandeel
fishing adjacent to seabird colonies along the United Kingdom coast and in response the Community
requested advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

An ICES Study Group was convened in 1999. On the basis of the information available the study group
proposed that kittiwake breeding success was the best practical indicator of sandeel availability, at least to
seabirds; kittiwake populations decline with breeding success below a certain threshold, and increase with
breeding success above another threshold. The Study Group therefore recommended using these two
values as triggers to close and re-open, respectively, the sandeel fishery near the Firth of Forth. As breeding
success of kittiwakes had declined below the threshold, the Study Group recommended that the fishery be
closed.

The Community agreed with ICES advice to close the fishery. A three year closure, from 2000 to 2002,
was decided and the Commission was asked to produce annual reports to the Council (Article 29a of
Council Regulation EC No 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of fishery resources through
technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms (1)).

Now that the three-year period has expired, the Commission is organising an expert consultation meeting
to determine future action. A report compiled by British and Danish scientists will be presented at the
meeting.

The report draws upon information from the following Community and nationally funded contracts:

(cid:1) Population structure in the lesser sandeel
predator interactions (DG XIV CFP. 94/071);

(Ammodytes marinus) and its implications for fishery-

C 192 E/188

Official Journal of the European Union

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14.8.2003

(cid:1) Effects of Large-scale Industrial Fisheries on Non Target Species (Elifonts) (CFP 95/078);

(cid:1) Modelling population dynamics of sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) populations in the North Sea on a

spatially resolved level (CFP 98/025);

(cid:1) Interactions between the Maríne environment, Predators, and prey:

implications for Sustainable

Sandeel fisheries (Impress) (FP5 QOL-2000-5.1.2);

(cid:1) Danish monitoring programme (Dalskov 2002, Jensen et al 2002);

(cid:1) Ecosystem approach to defining the sustainable level of

fishing for sandeels (Scottish Executive

ROAME MF0463).

(1) OJ L 125, 27.4.1998.

(2003/C 192 E/227)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0451/03

by Dorette Corbey (PSE) to the Commission

(19 February 2003)

Subject: Use of meat and bone meal

The feeding of animal protein to farm animals is currently banned by Commission Regulation (EEC)
No 1326/2001 (1). This temporary ban runs out on 1 July 2003.

Can the Commission say whether it intends to extend the ban on feeding meat and bone meal from
category 3 (as specified in Regulation (EEC) No 1774/2002 (2)) in the case of pigs and chickens and how
will this be done?

Can the Commission also indicate what scientific grounds there are for maintaining a ban on the use of
category 3 meat and bone meal?

What are the consequences for the environment of the ban on the use of meat and bone meal and the
associated waste problems?

What are or have been the costs of the ban on the use of category 3 meat and bone meal?

Does the Commission consider that the ban on the use of category 3 meat and bone meal for chickens and
pigs should only be maintained if there are scientific reasons for assuming that lifting it would result in a
risk to food safety?

(1) OJ L 177, 30.6.2001, p. 60.
(2) OJ L 273, 10.10.2002, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(20 March 2003)

The current ban on the use of category 3 animal by-products in feed is not due to a potential bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk of such by-products, but to control problems. In the absence of
suitable analytical tools, it is not possible to control the origin of the meat-and-bone meal used in feed.
The Commission will only consider a relaxation of the feed ban if
is scientifically justified and
appropriate validated analytical methods to differentiate safe proteins from potentially contaminated
proteins are available. Also, the Commission wants to verify that the provisions of Regulation (EC)

it