Brussels, 15/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 14 October, EU member states gave their backing to a European Commission proposal to relax the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) monitoring system in the light of the significant progress made recently in combating this animal disease. Currently, the active monitoring programme (which has been in place since July 2001) requires all healthy slaughtered cattle above 30 months old (some 10 million animals annually) and all at risk cattle above 24 months old (animals found dead, animals that have to be slaughtered as a matter of urgency, and those which display clinical signs during ante mortem inspection) to be tested for BSE.
The proposal, endorsed by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, would mean that, in the 15 “old” EU member states, healthy cattle and at risk animals will only be tested above 48 months old. For the moment, the proposal only covers the EU15 which meet the following four criteria: a) a total ban, in place for at least six years, on using animal protein in feeds for farmed animals; b) comprehensive BSE screening for at least six years; c) a full traceability and animal identification system in place for six years; and d) a favourable BSE situation in the member state. Slovenia and Cyprus have requested that they be allowed to relax their BSE testing programmes, just like the EU15. The EU Food and Veterinary Office will, therefore carry out inspections in these two countries. The new rules, which still have to be formally adopted by the Commission, will come into effect on 1 January 2009. (L.C./transl.rt)