CELEX: 51979PC0035
Language: en
Date: 1979-02-15
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION granting financial aid from the Community for the eradication of African swine fever in Malta (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

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COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (79) 35
Vol. 1979/0012
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                              COM(79)35 final
                                              Brussels . T5 february 1979
                            Proposal for a
                           COUNCIL DECISION
            granting financial aid from the Community
                   for the eradication of African swine
                           fever in Malta
            ( submitted to the Council by the Commission )
                                             χ·-
                                           X-
                                                               v
                                                              J
C0M<79 ) 35 final
 ---pagebreak---                             EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
African swine fever is an  extremely contagious disease transmitted not only
by the animals themselves  but also through meat and even through scraps fed
to pigs . It is thus very  dangerous to herds . As no vaccine is available,
recourse has to be had to  health protection measures , notably slaughter , which
are very costly .
African swine fever is thus a serious permanent danger to the Community 's pigs .
It has in the past affected par.t of France three times and also Italy , where
it rapidly became epizootic . Both countries had to resort to very severe
measures to eradicate it . It is at the moment present in Sardinia where it is
being stamped out by severe measures to which the Community is making a
financial contribution . As the disease is so easily spread, the best protection
for the Community is to eliminate it totally from adjoining territories ,
including Malta .
The plan for Malta is two-fold : firstly , vigorous eradication by the killing
of all pigs in the country and the immediate consumption or destruction of stocks
of pigmeat and, secondly , the reconstitution of pig herds using modern husbandry
techniques designed to prevent any occurrence of the disease in the future .
The purpose of the present decision is to grant aid to Malta , following its
request , for the establishment and implementation of its programme for
eradicating African swine fever . The contribution will be dependent on certain
measures being taken that will guarantee the effectiveness of the operation .
Its division into annual instalments will enable the implementation of the
programme to be followed and any appropriate adjustments to be made, the aim
being to eradicate African swine fever and reintroduce pig-farming anew in less
than three years .
 ---pagebreak---                           PROPOSAL for a
                         COUNCIL DECISION
         granting financial aid from the Community for the
         eradication of African swine fever in Malta
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
and in particular Article A3 thereof ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                   ~
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ,
Whereas the Community must take all appropriate measures to protect itself
against outbreaks of African swine fever on its territory ;
Whereas the Community has undertaken and continues to undertake action aimed
at keeping this type of disease at a distance from its frontiers by helping
countries affected by it to reinforce their preventive measures ;
Whereas , in the opinion of the Maltese authorities , the means hitherto used must
be reinforced in order to attain the basic objective of eradicating the disease
throughout the country by slaughtering all pigs there and of preventing reinfection
by restocking pig farms using modern husbandry techniques ;
Whereas the Maltese authorities have appealed to the Community for a
contribution to the cost of an effective crash programme for the eradication
of African swine fever' and for restocking; pig farms ;
Whereas a favourable response should be given to this request and aid granted
in view of the undertaking given by the Maltese authorities to protect the
Community against African swine fever, to eliminate the. disease completely and
to prevent its recurrence by means of a crash programme to be completed within
three years ;
 ---pagebreak---                                       2
Whereas this eradication programme must include certain measures to ensure its
effectiveness ;    whereas these measures must be capable of adjustment in line with
developments in the situation by way of a procedure in which the Member States
and the Commission will be closely associated;
Whereas it is necessary to keep Member States informed on the progress of the
programme ,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS :
                                  Article 1
The Community shall make a financial contribution to the eradication of African
swine fever in Malta .
                                  Article 2
The contribution shall be paid on condition that the Maltese authorities
establish a crash programme for the eradication of African swine fever and the
restocking of pig farms / to be approved in accordance with Article 4 ; ^
the programme must meet the conditions laid down in Article 3 and must be
completed in less than three years .
                                  Article 3
The crash programme specified in Article 2 must provide for :
1.    Rigorous eradication measures including the following :
     ( a ) the slaughter of all pigs on the territory of Malta >
     ( b ) the destruction or consumption of all pigmeat on Maltese territory
            and of all pigmeat-based products with the exception of preserves
           in sterilized tins ;
     ( c ) the cleaning , disinfection, disinsectization and deratization of farms
           and all places likely to have been contaminated by pigs , pigmeat or
           pigmeat-based products ;
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 3 -
    ( d ) the destruction or adequate heat treatment of all scraps and swill from
          cooking and industrial processes using pigmeat ,
    ( e).the searching out and systematic destruction of all scraps from traditional
          means of transport .
2. Preventive measures including the following :
    ( a ) the veterinary control of imports of pigmeat or pigmeat-based products
   '      likely to be infected because of conditions in the places whence they
          have corne ;
    ( b ) the prohibition of any introduction onto Maltese territory of live
          pigs , whatever their origin and destination , during a period of at least
          six months from the completion of the measures specified in paragraph 1 ,
    ( c ) by way of derogation from ( b ), the introduction of breeding pigs onto the
          island of Comino may be authorized under the conditions specified in
          paragraph 3 two months after the completion of the measures specified in
          paragraph 1 .
3. Measures for supervising restocking , including the following :
    ( a ) the prohibition of the use for animal feeding of swill and scraps from
               cooking or industrial . processes of pigmeat , except after adequate
          heat treatment in installations    specially designed for the purpose .
          The use of such scraps for feeding pigs shall be restricted, in any case,
          to rearing establishments , limited in number and specially authorized
          for this purpose by the competent veterinary authorities , which
          exclusively rear pigs for fattening ;
    ( b ) the construction or renovation of piggeries in accordance with
          specifications indicated by the competent authorities ;
    ( c ) a gradual restocking of all Maltese territory     using as a basis the
          breeding pigs introduced beforehand exclusively .on Comino and by means
          of multiplier breeding establishments producing piglets intended for
          fattening situated on the island of Gozo and on certain specified parts
          of the island of Malta        where the use of scraps and swill , whether
          or not treated, is prohibited ;
 ---pagebreak---       ( d ) the separation and total isolation of rearing establishments according
            to specialization (breeding pigs , multipliers and fattening pigs ).
            Multiplier establishments which in addition fatten all or part of
            exclusively their own production, may be authorized by the competent
            veterinary authorities in those parts of          Maltese territory where
            the use of scraps and swill , whether or not treated, remains
            prohibited ;
      ( e) health-protection supervision of all mpvements of pigs , whatever their
            origin and destination ;
      ( f ) health-protection supervision of all rearing establishments as they become
            operational .
4 . An increase in the personnel strengths of the official services responsible
     for implementation of the programme .
                                    Article 4
The Commission, after examining the programme proposed by the Maltese authorities
and any amendments , shall decide , in accordance with the procedure               .
laid down in Article 5 , whether or not to approve it .
                                    Article 5
1.    Where the procedure laic! down in this Article is to be followed the Chairman
      of the Standing Veterinary Committee set up by decision of the Council on
      15 October 1968 and hereinafter referred to as the " CommittPe ", shall refer
    ■ the matter to such Committee either on his own initiative or at the request
      of a Member State .
2 . The votes of the Member States in the Committee shall be weighted as laid down
      in Article 148 ( 2 ) of the Treaty .    The Chairman shall not vote .
3.    The representative of the Commission shall submit a draft of the measures
      to be taken . The Committee shall deliver its opinion on these measures within
      a time limit which the Chairman may set according to the urgency of the matter .
      The opinion shall be adopted by a majority of forty-one votes .
4.    If the measures are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee, the
       Commission shall adopt them and apply them immediately . If they are not in
      accordance with the opinion of the Committee or if the Committee delivers no
       opinion, the Commission shall immediately submit a proposal to the Council on
it'tnat he : measures to be taken .- TheCouncil . shatt - adopt rsueh measures by a qualified
 ---pagebreak---     majority .
     If within three months from the date on which the proposed measures were
     submitted the Council has not adopted any measures , the Commission shall
     adopt the proposed measures and immediately apply them .
                               Article 6
1.  The aid to be granted by the Community for the period in question is estimated
    at 5 mi I lion EUA .
2.  Payment shall be made in annual instalments , within the limit of the
    budgetary appropriations , on presentation to the Commission of supporting
    documents .
                               Article 7
1.  The Commission shall follow the progress of the implementation of the crash
    programme . It shall make regular reports to the Member States meeting within the
    Standing Veterinary Committee on the progress of the programme, based on
    information obtained from the Maltese authorities and reports from any
    Commission experts who have made visits of inspection .
2.  The Commission may suspend the Community aid if it considers such action
    justified by the development of the situation and the results obtained .
3.  Amendments by the Maltese authorities to the programme as initially approved
    must themselves be approved by the procedure referred to in Article 4 .
Done at Brussels ,                                      For the Council
                                                        Président
 ---pagebreak---                                      FINANCIAL STATEMENT
    1 . Budget heading :
        Article 310
         Item 3101
   2 . Title of heading :
        EEC participation in the campaign against African swine fever , field operations .
  t
   3 . Legal basis :
         Council Decision .
  é        .
    4 . Nature of action :
        This is a Decision designed to protect the Community against African swine fever
        which has already caused damage in France and is at the source of other major
        outbreaks discovered in the Community , in particular in Sardinia this year .
         The measures planned would take - the form of financial aid to Malta ( which Malta has
         requested ) so that Malta may apply and successfully carry out a programme for the
         eradication of this disease and for the establishment of a new system of pig
         breeding . The eradication programme would have to receive the Commission 's prior
         approval , and the payment by annual instalments of the subsidy envisaged would be
         conditional on the rigorous application of the said programme .
    5 . Cost in EUA :
         Payment of a total subsidy of 5 million EUA over three years by annual instalments'
         from 1979 to 1981 . ' Either , for 1979 , the inclusion of an appropriation of
         2.5 million EUA under Item 3101 under a supplementary budget or by transfer of
         appropriations ; for 1980 , an appropriation of 1.5 million EUA and , for 1981 , an
         appropriation of 1 million EUA under the appropriate Item of the Community budget .
         Method of calculation :
         The total amount of the subsidy represents about 50% of the overall cost of the
         programme which , on present estimates , would involve the following operations :
         - decontamination measures ( disinfection, insecticidal measures , rodent control );
         - establishment of a breeder centre at Comino ;
         - ( infrastructure - installations - purchase of breeders );
         - construction or renovation of installations to accommodate pigs satisfying modern
             health criteria ;
         - construction of installations for the treatment of swill intended for pigfeed
             and for the destruction of swill originating from international means of transport
             ( collection and transport );
          - expanding the veterinary control services ,
          i.e ., about 10 million EUA .
          The Community participation proposed was organized by taking account in particular
         of :
          - scientific and practical knowledge of combatting the disease acquired from
             experience in similar cases ;
          - the technical content of the plan based on total depopulation and the
             reconstitution of a pig breeding system according to appropriate veterinary
             criteria ;
          - the financial means at the disposal of the competent Maltese authorities .
     6 . Control :                            *               ' .
■J J      Possibly an on-the- spot visit and a report submitted to .the Standing Veterinary
     -.^ Committee .