81/651/EEC: Commission Decision of 30 July 1981 establishing a Scientific Veterinary Committee

COMMISSION DECISION of 30 July 1981 establishing a Scientific Veterinary Committee (81/651/EEC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,
Whereas the elaboration and modification of common veterinary rules concerning animals and animal products must guarantee sufficient protection of human and animal health within the Community ; whereas animals may be terrestrial or aquatic;
Whereas Community veterinary measures should be taken in respect of animal health in particular the control of epizootic and enzootic diseases and intoxications;
Whereas Community veterinary public health measures should be taken in respect of the protection of human health, in particular the elaboration of common rules concerning the control of zoonoses, being those diseases, infections and intoxications transmissible between animals and man, in connection with the hygiene, inspection and control involved in the production, manufacture, storage, transport and marketing of animal foodstuffs and foodstuffs of animal origin;
Whereas the elaboration and modification of these rules require an examination of problems of human and animal health and of the corresponding disease and hygiene inspection and control measures for animal products and products of animal origin;
Whereas Community measures should be taken in the field of protection of animals ; whereas these measures should take into account the biological, physiological and ethological requirements of animals;
Whereas research into solutions to the problems of disease due to parasites, bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes and their toxins and other intoxications, requires the participation of highly qualified scientists, particularly in the fields of veterinary medicine, microbiology and other similar disciplines;
Whereas contact with such groups must be facilitated by the creation under the auspices of the Commission of a committee of a consultative nature;
Whereas to facilitate work in this field it is appropriate that the Committee be composed of three sections which shall be concerned with problems of animal health, veterinary measures relating to public health and animal welfare, respectively;
Whereas the section concerned with animal health questions shall examine in particular problems concerning the cause, nature, pathogenesis, effects, diagnosis, epidemiology, prophylaxis and therapy of animal disease, including zoonoses, and with the morphology, physiology and reproduction of healthy animals and with problems of animal health in general;
Whereas the section concerned with veterinary public health shall examine in particular veterinary measures for the protection of the health of humans and hygiene conditions for the production, processing, handling and marketing of foodstuffs of animal origin and for the inspection of foodstuffs of animal origin and the control of such foodstuffs relative to the fixing of minimum criteria of wholesomeness and hygiene during processing, storage, distribution and preparation;
Whereas the section concerned with animal welfare shall examine in particular measures to ensure the protection of animals, especially those relating to animal rearing, management, transport, slaughter and experimentation,