Luxembourg, 19/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - At the end of the day the Commission will have full latitude to decide, without further consulting Member States, to extend for a temporary period (with buffer date) the ban on using meat and bone meal. The Council of Agriculture Ministers, which met on Tuesday in Luxembourg, did not manage to reach a qualified majority either for or against this decision. During the vote within the Standing Veterinary Committee, Germany, Austria, France and Spain voted against as these countries would have preferred the ban to be definitive. Finally, the ban on meat and bone meal (which, according to a simpler formula, was to be renewed for six months until the end of the year) will be extended at least until 1 January 2002, but for a period not exceeding two years in total, that is, until 1 January 2003. The United Kingdom abstained as it would have liked derogation in order to be able to use fish meal in ruminant feed (the current derogation authorises farmers to use such feed for "monogastric" animals). The Commission will also take other decisions that are the subject of the same package of measures aimed at completing provisions of the regulation on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), to take effect from 1 July: - amendment of the rules for eradicating BSE by giving relevant local authorities the possibility of not demanding the slaughter of the whole herd of animals when a case of BSE is confirmed; - adjustment of the list of products of animal origin imported into the Community in order to take into account, from 1 October 2001, restrictions concerning a series of new products, mainly tallow, gelatine and pet food (the essential requirement will be to exclude specified risk material from spinal chord and brain tissue origin); - with regard to imports of live animals from certain third countries, a requirement will be introduced from 1 October 2001 for a ban on meat and bone meal in feed for ruminants, and complete identification making it possible to trace back to the mother and to the herd of origin (derogation is provided for countries where scientists have concluded it is highly unlikely that they will one day have indigenous cases of BSE).
The Council reached a political agreement with a view to a common position on the proposal of regulation of 19 October 2000 on the health rules applicable to animal by-products not intended for the human food chain. Austria and Germany voted against as these countries wanted to benefit from a derogation allowing them to use kitchen waste in animal feed. In addition to the ban on such matter, the Council adopted the opinion of the European Parliament consisting of banning "cannibalism" (i.e. feeding pigs with pig waste and poultry with poultry waste). We recall that the regulation proposed aims to: - ban recycling in the food chain of animal carcasses and declassified animal by products; - clarify the rules on processing animal matter that cannot be reintroduced into the food chain; - and introduce new provisions on the processing of some of this matter into biogases.
The other decisions taken by the Council are:
Classical swine fever: The Council reached a political agreement on the proposal of directive concerning measures for combating classical swine fever. Only Germany and Austria voted against, as these delegations had hoped a transitional period (2008) would be introduced in order to conform to these provisions. The directive, which mainly provides for notification of cases of swine fever recorded among wild pigs, the establishment of a manual for diagnosis and epidemiological inquiries after outbreaks of the disease, as well as studies on new vaccines, must take effect on 1 July 2002.
Animal feed: Taking into account the opinion given in second reading by the Parliament, the Council adopted the proposal to amend the 1995 directive on the organisation of official controls on animal feed. Ministers also reached a political agreement (with a view to the adoption of a common position) on the proposal of directive on undesirable substances and products in animal feed. The compromise text provides for a transitional 24 month period, instead of 12 months as set out in the Commission's initial proposal.
Animal transport: The Council adopted a resolution on the protection of animals during transport and mainly invited Member States to implement current legislation, especially the provisions that aim to reduce the transport of live animals over long distances.