Brussels, 10/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - At the plenary on Thursday 10 March, the European Parliament adopted the amendments to the initial European proposal on veterinary medicines. Nonetheless, at the request of the rapporteur, Françoise Grossetête (EPP, France), it decided to postpone the vote on the draft legislative resolution in order “to proceed directly to inter-institutional negotiations on the basis of the mandate adopted”.
The main compromise amendments negotiated between the political groups at the EP Environment Committee were voted on in the plenary (details in EUROPE 11403). The amended text seeks to improve the fight against antibiotic resistance in reared animals, particularly by banning exclusively preventive utilisation (prophylactics) and imposing conditions on metaphylactic use (treating the whole herd when only a single animal is infected).
In addition to the changes obtained at the plenary, the EP also adopted an amendment submitted by the Greens/EFA group (supported by the Liberals), which stipulates that it is possible, when there are no other appropriate veterinary medicines, to administer homoeopathic medicines to animals that are not used for producing foodstuffs. The EP also rejected an amendment by Karin Kadenbach (S&D, Austria) passed at the EP Environment Committee, which sought to add medicines containing GMOs to the reasons that can justify the refusal of a marketing authorisation. Grossetête is pleased to have obtained a rejection on this amendment because it involved medical biotechnology and not a GMO for plants. 19 vaccines containing GMOs are already on the market (viruses are genetically modified to be less virulent) and according to one source are, “perfectly safe”.
During the debate the evening before, Grossetête stated that “The fight against antibiotic resistance must start on farms. We wish to prohibit the purely preventive use of antibiotics, restrict collective treatment to very specific cases, prohibit the veterinary use of antibiotics that are critically important for human medicine and put an end to online sales of antibiotics, vaccines and psychotropic substances. Thanks to these measures, we hope to reduce the amounts of antibiotics found on consumers' plates”. The text provides an ambitious response on the question of innovation because it proposes the extension of certain periods of commercial exclusivity, particularly for medicines for minor species, in an effort to create strong incentives for research.
“We have reached the right balance, with the right compromises”, explained Alberto Cirio (EPP, Italy), who spoke on behalf of his group. He promised that these new rules would not create more red tape and highlighted the benefits of harmonising the rules, particularly in favour of the milk producers currently experiencing a period of crisis. Karin Kadenbach welcomed the vote in favour of a ban on Internet sales of antibiotics. Gesine Meissner (ALDE, Germany) welcomed the measures to strengthen the fight against antibiotic resistance and stronger rules on the prescription of antibiotics. She suggested that they also authorise homoeopathic treatments. Merja Kyllönen (GUE/NGL, Finland) also welcomed the stricter rules agreed on the prescription of antibiotics by veterinaries. Martin Häusling (Green/EFA, Germany) said that “We have significantly improved the Commission proposal”. He said that it was unacceptable that there are twice as many antibiotics used in veterinary medicine than in human medicine and called for them to “recognise homoeopathy”. Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD, Italy) said that a good text had been ratified in the EP Environment Committee.
Council is not in a hurry
At the end of the debate, Grossetête concluded that “My concern is that the Council treats this question rather flippantly or that it does not take the time or feel really concerned. This would be very serious because an animal health problem is a human health problem”. According to certain sources, the Council would only be able to begin negotiations with the EP in a year's time. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)