Luxembourg, 25/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - In Luxembourg on 24 October, the Council of Ministers of the EU adopted without debate the directive updating sanitary police requirements for the sales, import and transport of farmed fish and aquaculture products. This new piece of legislation, which was proposed by the European Commission in late August 2005 (EUROPE 9011), reinforces the measures to prevent and fight disease in aquaculture species. Its aim is to step up disease prevention, to guarantee that pisciculture holdings which are free from disease are protected from the introduction of pathogens and to avoid the spread of new diseases in the EU affecting farmed fish. Furthermore, the new directive will allow the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), for the period 2007-2013, to make a financial contribution to the eradication of disease. The Member States must apply this new legislation from 1 August 2008.
"By establishing clear and harmonised Community rules, this new legislation will stimulate the competitiveness of the European aquaculture sector", in which annual production stands at a value of 2.6 million EUR and "promote an increase in trade in fisheries products", announced the services of Markos Kyprianou, the Commissioner with responsibility for Health and Consumer Protection.
The existing Community legislation, which dates from the early 1990s, particularly relates to the farming of salmon, trout and oysters. In recent years, however, the Community aquaculture sector has developed considerably: new species of fish have appeared in aquaculture (perch, carp etc), new farming practices are used and the farming of shellfish, mussels, venus clams and abalones is expanding rapidly. The new directive, which takes account of these developments, applies neither to ornamental fish raised in aquariums, nor to wild fish collected or caught with a view to their immediate introduction into the food chain. Nor does it apply to fish caught with a view to the production of fish bone meal, fish feed or fish oil.
The directive adopted on Tuesday authorises greater flexibility in the application of Community rules on the health of farmed fish. Whilst imposing rigorous standards concerning the health of farmed fish and seafood, the directive sets no particular methods to be observed. This approach will help to favour regional or local solutions to prevent and contain disease. The Member States will have to ensure that the text is being respected along with the corresponding controls, and set up national plans for the control and eradication of fish disease, as well as emergency plans in case of the outbreak of disease.
The new directive also provides: - obligations for accreditation and controls on fish farms and processing establishments; - an animal health monitoring programme for all fish farms and mollusc parks (analysis of risks to detect the presence of any disease); strict sanitary police conditions for the sales of fish and aquaculture products (transport, animal health certification etc); provisions for bringing fish and aquaculture animals into the EU from third countries; - rules for the notification of diseases and minimal measures for the fight against fish disease; provisions on inspections and Community audits. (lc)