Brussels, 08/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 7 May, the European Commission announced that elephants, giraffes and rhinoceroses could be imported more easily into the European Union by approved bodies, such as zoos, under new rules that seek to reduce the risk of trafficking these non-domestic ungulates.
The proposal by the European Commission was endorsed by member states' experts at the meeting of the Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCOFCAH).
In a press release, the European Commission said that “the new rules will simplify the safe import of these animals and reduce the risk of illegal imports”. The animals affected by these new rules are not intended to enter the food chain, and are only for public display, education, conservation of the species and other scientific purposes, explained the services of Tonio Borg, European Commissioner for Health.
EU member states will have more flexibility in authorising the import of these animals if they are kept in protected structures approved by the authorities of the exporting country. Their import will also be subject to specific tests and certification. The Commission stressed that “on arrival into the EU, these animals will be housed in places such as zoos that are approved by the veterinary services in which quarantine and biosecurity measures are strictly applied”. A spokesperson for the Commission said that these provisions are supposed to enter into force 20 days after their publication in the EU Official Journal, which “is expected in the next few weeks”. (LC/transl.fl)