On Monday 16 November, during the videoconference meeting of EU agriculture ministers, Stella Kyriakides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, stated that the European Commission “is currently updating the legislation on African swine fever and the relevant control measures”.
The Czech Republic and Poland asked the Commission to support continuation of Member States’ coordinated efforts to tackle this outbreak and to reduce the administrative costs linked to both the measures and the co-financing system. A number of agriculture ministers supported these requests.
The Commissioner said that this update to the legislation “will benefit from the application of the new Animal Health Law legal framework and will also reflect the latest scientific evidence and experience”. “This will enable us to find the best possible solution for Europe’s pig and pig meat industry”, added Kyriakides.
The Commission provides Member States with “all possible financial support” to tackle ASF control measures, through veterinary programmes and emergency funding. These measures are frequently adapted to ensure they respond to countries’ needs.
In addition, advance payments are available for emergency measures to ensure support is provided before actions are taken. “Of course, EU financial support follows clear and strict rules based on the Financial Regulation”, the Commissioner stated.
She finished by saying that negotiations on the new ‘Single Market Programme for the Food chain’ still have to be finalised and that one of the programme’s key priorities is to “simplify and streamline the administrative procedures for financial support wherever possible”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)