Luxembourg, 18/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Court of Justice has ruled that the European policy on combating the foot-and-mouth disease, which has remained constant since 1990, is not contrary to the "principle of proportionality". It adds that animal welfare is not a general principle of the law that could bring into question the policy of sanitary slaughter, considered by the EU as preferable to a policy of preventive vaccination. Such is the Court's answer to a court in the Hague which...