Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Council Directive on Community measures for the control of foot-and-mouth disease and amending Directive 92/46/EEC" (COM(2002) 736 final — 2002/0299 (CNS))
Date: 2003-05-23
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: disease prevention, foot-and-mouth disease, health control, livestock, vaccination, veterinary legislation

3.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 208/11

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council
Directive on Community measures for the control of foot-and-mouth disease and amending
Directive 92/46/EEC’

(COM(2002) 736 final — 2002/0299 (CNS))

(2003/C 208/03)

On 7 February 2003 the Council, in accordance with Article 37(3) of the Treaty establishing the European
Community, decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, on the above-mentioned
proposal.

The Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was responsible for
preparing the Committee’s work on the matter, adopted its opinion on 1 April 2003. The rapporteur was
Mr Bastian.

At its 399th plenary session on 14 and 15 May 2003 (meeting of 14 May), the European Economic and
Social Committee adopted this opinion by 100 votes to none, with four abstentions.

1. Gist of the Commission document

The European Union has been affected in recent
1.1.
years by severe epidemics the consequences of which have
traumatised farmers and EU citizens. The memory of the foot-
and-mouth (FMD) epidemic which in 2001 decimated herds
in certain Member States is still present. In the interests of
prevention, the European Commission is proposing a new
Community framework for controlling FMD.

1.2.
The European Commission proposal, which has been
in preparation since 1998 and has become more necessary
than ever after the crisis of 2001, is presented as a bulwark
against the propagation of a new epidemic. The European
Commission and all the players in the stock-farming sector are
aware that there is no simple solution for controlling FMD, as
the subject is so complex. In addition, the ‘solidity’ of the
proposed bulwark will depend on the investment of all the
parties in the proposed machinery.

The Commission does not call

1.3.
into question the
current policy, which gives priority to the slaughter of animals
infected and contaminated by the virus, but gives emergency
vaccination a more important role in the eradication machin-
ery in the event of a new epidemic.

1.4.
The European Commission wishes to promote rapid
action in the event of a new FMD outbreak and immediate and
effective control measures.

1.6.
Prevention of the propagation of the disease would be
based on increased monitoring of animal movements and of
the use of products likely to be contaminated, and on the more
systematic use of emergency vaccination.

1.7.
A key element of the proposed new machinery is the
application of the principle of regionalisation, based on strict
control measures in certain EU regions without compromising
the EU’s general interests.

1.8.
Controlling FMD would be made easier through rapid
access to antigen banks. Moreover, aid would be provided for
adjacent third countries infected by or at risk from the FMD
virus, in particular as regards the emergency supply of antigens
or vaccines.

1.9.
The proposed new Community framework for con-
trolling FMD includes highly detailed national contingency
plans. These will be reviewed regularly in the light of real-time
alert exercises carried out in the Member States.

These contingency plans will include rules on the use
1.9.1.
of emergency vaccination and will have to take account of
environmental considerations in the event of an outbreak.
They should provide for close cooperation between the
competent veterinary and environmental authorities.

1.5. Measures to enable rapid and detailed diagnosis of
the virus are proposed. Moreover, a Community reference
laboratory would be responsible for coordination between the
various national laboratories.

1.9.2.
The Commission will be able to modify and adapt
certain technical aspects of the control measures by the
procedure of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and
Animal Health.

C 208/12

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

3.9.2003

2. General comments

2.1.
The EESC considers it imperative to set up a new
Community framework to control FMD. In its opinion on the
Proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision No 666/
91/EEC establishing Community reserves of foot-and-mouth
disease vaccines (1) the EESC stressed that protecting the health
of European livestock was of the greatest importance and that
there was an obvious need to establish a new legal framework
as suggested by the Commission, which would enable more
effective and immediate measures to be taken to control foot-
and-mouth diseases.

2.2.
In its opinions the EESC has always called for citizens
to be given clear and objective information in crisis situations.
It is essential to realise that FMD is an animal disease that
poses no risks to human health. Any information must avoid
creating confusion on this point.

2.3.
In view of this situation, steps should be taken to
encourage a sustainable stock-breeding sector, taking into
account the demands of EU citizens as regards animal welfare,
trends in agricultural production and trade and the need to
maintain the proper functioning of the single market. A
sustainable stock-breeding sector is based on an animal health
policy incorporating the latest scientific findings available and
new technologies.

2.4.
Veterinary controls and systems in the EU should be
reviewed and tightened up. The 2001 FMD epidemic has
highlighted this need.

‘non-vaccination’. The EU takes account of

2.4.3.
Since 1992, the EU has applied the principle of
banning prophylactic vaccination against FMD, which was
practised in some Member States, and encouraging a policy
of
the trade
recommendations made by the International Office of Epizo-
otics (OIE). These recommendations envisaged very long
periods of time for a country to regain the status of ‘free
from foot-and-mouth disease’ after recourse to emergency
vaccination (protective vaccination) in the event of an FMD
outbreak. When the crisis broke, these recommendations did
not take account of the state of scientific knowledge regarding
trial methods enabling a distinction to be drawn between
vaccinated and infected animals.
In May 2002, the OIE’s
international animal health code was reviewed. A country that
had carried out emergency vaccination in conjunction with
the elimination through slaughter of infected herds and a post-
vaccination serological check on vaccinated animals by means
of
tests to detect antibodies reacting with non-structural
proteins could regain ‘free from disease/infection’ status for
FMD six months after the appearance of the last outbreak or
after the end of the vaccination campaign if this was sooner.

2.4.4.
Up to now, EU policy on controlling FMD has been
based on slaughtering infected herds and animals of species
sensitive to FMD that could have been in contact with the area
of infection or with vectors of infection or which could have
been infected in some other way. Emergency vaccination was
a last resort.

2.5.
After the traumatic experiences in the regions affected
by the FMD epidemic, it is essential to take account also of the
social, environmental and psychological consequences of the
methods used to control FMD and of their effects on the
overall economy of these regions.

It is vital to encourage methods that reduce the direct
2.5.1.
or indirect impact of the policy of systematic slaughter on
public opinion, stock-breeding and other economic sectors.

The 2001 epidemic of Pan-Asian O strain FMD
2.4.1.
spread with unprecedented speed in the EU. The causes of this
epidemic have not been established for certain but everything
suggests that the illegal introduction of products that were
used in animal feed lies at the heart of the matter.

Any policy to control FMD must avoid the mass
2.5.2.
destruction of healthy animals. Moreover, steps should be
taken to limit damage to trade in non-affected areas at national,
European and international level.

2.4.2.
Before it had been identified and controls had been
introduced, the FMD virus spread in the United Kingdom, then
in France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Northern Ireland. The
consequences of this epidemic and the steps taken to control
it had an impact on the economy of the regions affected.
Heavy losses were sustained by farms, the food production
industry, both upstream and downstream, tourism and other
sectors.

3. Specific comments

3.1. Disease prevention

( 1) OJ C 368, 20.12.1999.

3.1.1.
The EESC agrees with the Commission that preven-
tive measures are necessary to avoid propagation of the FMD
virus and its incursion on to EU territory and into EU livestock
from adjacent third countries or through imports of live
animals or products of animal origin. The main risk of

3.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 208/13

introducing FMD comes from illegal imports of animals and
animal products from countries where FMD is endemic. The
EESC supports the recent Commission proposals aimed at
tightening up the rules on personal imports of meat and milk
products into the EU, which will come into effect on 1 January
2003.

territory to include one or more regulated areas and a
disease-free area. The EESC approves the distinction between
temporary control zones, protection zones and surveillance
zones. The delimitation of zones is to be based on a thorough
epidemiological assessment of the animal health situation.

3.1.2.
Proper, effective inspection systems and border
checks are essential. It is essential to develop systems for
providing information on FMD outbreaks in other parts of the
world and to see that existing rules are applied properly. The
EESC is in favour of all OIE member states undertaking to
report FMD outbreaks immediately, together with the measures
they have taken.

3.2.3.
The measures put forward by the Commission to
enable rapid and detailed diagnosis of the virus are warmly
welcomed by the EESC. The EESC is in favour of the installation
of a Community reference laboratory responsible for coordi-
nation between the national laboratories.

3.1.3. More effective supervision of animal movements
within the EU and between farms is required. It must be based
on the principles of bio-security, risk assessment and a better
animal identification system, especially as regards sheep, goats
and pigs.

3.1.4.
To prevent epidemics, it is imperative to respect
good hygiene practices on farms and when transporting
animals.

3.2.4.
The EESC supports the maintenance in the Member
States of laboratories and structures providing scientific expert-
ise in the field of FMD diagnosis.

The EESC notes that Community FMD control policy
3.2.5.
should combine the systematic slaughter of
infected and
contaminated animals, which is provided for in certain cases
for reasons of efficiency, with emergency vaccination.

The EESC stresses the need for instruments to
3.1.5.
distribute information and for detailed technical training aimed
at improving knowledge about epidemics and the methods
used to control them. Farmers and vets would take part in
these events, which would be organised in collaboration with
neighbouring Member States. The Commission’s proposals on
this matter (Annex XVII) must be beefed up. In addition, steps
should be taken to ensure that a high level of veterinary
expertise is maintained in rural areas so that an effective animal
health policy can be pursued. The EU Commission’s proposals,
particularly those regarding the CAP and regional policy,
should be assessed in the light of this requirement.

3.2.6.
The EESC is pleased that an increasingly significant
place is being given to emergency vaccination in the EU’s
measures for controlling FMD, with flexibility being allowed
in their application at local level. It is important that such
decisions are taken in close consultation with all the partners
involved along the line. With this in mind, the EESC also calls
upon the Commission to encourage, in consultation with the
partners of the OIE, a relaxing and harmonisation of the rules
on the periods before the recovery of former export status for
vaccinated animals. The directives of the OIE on this period
must evolve in line with research findings.

3.2. Measures to be taken as soon as an FMD outbreak occurs

3.2.1.
The EESC agrees with the Commission that rapid
action based on immediate and effective control measures
must be taken as soon as an FMD outbreak occurs.

The EESC supports

the proposals to introduce
3.2.2.
measures gradually, in keeping with the size of an outbreak.
The EESC is in favour of a regionalisation of Member States’

3.2.7.
The EESC stresses the need for FMD control policy
to take into account the values of European citizens as regards
ethics and animal welfare.

The EESC agrees that it

3.2.8.
is necessary to set up
transparent and effective procedures to guarantee rapid access
to antigens. The setting-up of a Community reference labora-
tory responsible in particular for informing the Commission
and the Member States on needs in the field of vaccines and
antigens is a proposal of relevance. The EESC feels that, when
the health of animals in the EU is threatened, it is vital to
allow countries bordering the EU rapid and easy access to
Community stocks of vaccines and antigens.

C 208/14

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

3.9.2003

3.2.9.
The EESC supports the Commission’s proposals
aimed at preventing the spread of the disease as soon as an
outbreak occurs by carefully monitoring movements of ani-
mals and the use of products liable to be contaminated. The
EESC considers it wise to place restrictions on the semen, ova
and embryos of infected animals from susceptible species.

The EESC approves the proposals to apply,

3.2.10.
if
necessary, control measures not only to infected animals of
susceptible species, but also to contaminated animals of species
not susceptible to the disease, notably poultry, which may be
mechanical vectors for the virus.

3.2.11.
The EESC approves the Commission’s wish to make
cleansing and disinfection an integral part of the Community
FMD control policy.

3.2.12.
The EESC encourages the provision of clear and
precise information for European citizens as part of the process
of prevention. The EESC is therefore in favour of the Standing
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Chain being able
to decide that a Member State which has been hit by an FMD
outbreak can have its former export status restored earlier
than allowed at present (namely six months after protective
emergency vaccination) if an extensive survey in the protection
and surveillance zone(s) shows that the FMD virus is no longer
active.

3.2.13.
The EESC feels that, in the interests of efficiency, it
is wise to empower the Commission to modify and adapt
certain technical aspects of
the control measures by the
procedure of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and
Animal Health.

The EESC is in favour of applying the principle of
3.2.14.
regionalisation to control measures as proposed by the Euro-
pean Commission if this enables strict controls to be imposed
in certain EU regions without jeopardising the general interests
of the Community. It should be stressed that the principle of
regionalisation must be applied in a spirit of reciprocity by our
trading partners in accordance with the veterinary agreements
concluded with them by the EU.

necessary. It is imperative to set up systems for providing
information on outbreaks and rapid communication between
the organisations concerned in an emergency.

3.3.2.
The EESC stresses the importance of the measures
on the organisation of alert exercises to control outbreaks.
Such exercises should be organised at least once a year and
include the participation of
farmers and vets. The EESC
approves the fact that Member States are to be encouraged to
organise and carry out these exercises within the framework
of cross-border programmes.

The EESC considers that Member States’ contingency
3.3.3.
plans should be reviewed more frequently in the light of real-
time alert exercises. Checks should be carried out in situ by the
EU Commission on the adequacy of national plans, the
effectiveness of the arrangements for implementing them,
staffing levels and the state of preparation of veterinary
services. The Commission’s coordinating role should be
enhanced by setting up European coordination machinery.

3.3.4.
The involvement of the European Commission in the
preparation, checking and implementation of contingency
plans is seen as a positive element by the EESC.

3.3.5.
The EESC considers that the Member States must
remain free to take stricter measures as regards applying the
directive and welcomes the Commission’s proposals on this
point. The EESC particularly approves the Member States being
allowed to take all the additional national measures which are
deemed necessary and proportionate to contain the FMD virus,
taking into account the particular epidemiological, animal
husbandry, commercial and social conditions prevailing in the
affected area.

3.3.6.
The question of how to eliminate carcasses must be
the subject of detailed provisions. Arrangements should be
made for local operational plans that take account of local
social, environmental and public health realities.

3.3. Contingency plans

3.3.1.
The EESC supports the Commission proposals con-
cerning national contingency plans specifying the national
measures required to maintain a high level of FMD awareness
and preparedness and feels that the conditions laid down are

3.4. Research and development

3.4.1.
Scientific research, and especially applied research, is
a key element in preventing the propagation of outbreaks. It is
essential to maintain and develop in the EU Member States a
high level of expertise in the field of animal illnesses. European
society must be reassured that policy on controlling FMD can
evolve at
the same speed as scientific and technological
advances in developing vaccines and trial methods.

3.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 208/15

3.4.2.
Research should be encouraged and given adequate
funding, especially in the field of marker vaccines and serology
differentiation tests. The EESC asks the European Commission
to send out a strong message along these lines to show its will
to promote European research and share the fruits of it with
non-EU countries.

3.4.3.
The fruits of research must be exchanged, distributed
and used on the ground. The achievement of this objective
requires efficient communication, distribution and training
networks.

4. Compensation

4.1.
The stock-breeding sector is essential to EU agriculture.
It requires major investments and is subject to many different
risks. It is therefore necessary, in the event of losses, to improve
compensation for European stockbreeders in accordance with
uniform criteria throughout the EU, particularly when animals
are slaughtered. The losses sustained by farms,
including
indirect losses resulting from being placed in quarantine, the
processing industries, agro-food companies and the whole
food production sector both upstream and downstream must
be compensated. It is particularly necessary to compensate

Brussels, 14 May 2003.

losses due to the problems of marketing products in areas
where animal and product movements are restricted. A
Community fund to cover expenditure in the event of serious
crises is more necessary than ever.

5. Conclusions

5.1.
The EESC supports the approach put forward by the
EU Commission to combat the FMD virus and its propagation.
The Commission should strive for an optimal approach with
proper regard for veterinary, economic (for the whole rural
economy), environmental and ethical factors.

5.2.
To prevent any new crisis occurring, the EESC asks the
EU Commission to give priority to developing applied research
in the field of animal health. The bases of any effective
prevention policy are a high level of expertise and a dynamic
network of European experts. It is also vital
to see that
new research discoveries in the stock-breeding sector are
distributed, used and passed on to others.

5.3.
As soon as new scientific advances are available, the
Community’s measures for controlling FMD should be adapted,
especially if they make it possible to avoid slaughtering animals
and give preference to vaccination.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH