WRITTEN QUESTION E-2513/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 September 2001)

Subject: Uncontrolled dumping of animal waste in Greece

According to my information, a great many slaughterhouses, butcher's shops and meat factories in Greece do not take their animal waste to special processing plants but simply dump it in the environment. This practice is in breach of Council Decision No 2000/766/EC(1) which lays down that Member States shall ensure that animal waste as defined by Directive 90/667/EEC(2) is collected, transported, processed, stored or disposed of in accordance with that Directive, Commission Decision 97/735/EC(3) and Council Decision 1999/534/EC(4).

The problem of uncontrolled dumping of animal waste in the environment became more acute in Greece when two of the three independent animal waste processing industries were closed down owing to the ban on meat and bone meal.

1. What measures will the Commission take to persuade Greece to comply with Community legislation?

2. What are the risks to public health associated with the uncontrolled dumping of animal waste in the environment?

3. Is there any provision to compensate companies which process animal waste to produce animal feed and which have closed down because of the ban on the sale of such animal feed?

(1) OJ L 306, 7.12.2000, p. 32.

(2) OJ L 363, 27.12.1990, p. 51.

(3) OJ L 294, 28.10.1997, p. 7.

(4) OJ L 204, 4.8.1999, p. 37.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(26 October 2001)

1. Commission experts from the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General's (DG) Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) carry out regular on-the-spot checks in all Member States to verify the correct implementation of Community food safety and veterinary legislation. Reports of these missions have been published on the Health and Consumer DG website. In relation to matters relating to public and animal health, the Commission's policy is to maintain a high level of vigilance in order to ensure that Member States fully comply with their obligations under Community law.

Where, after establishing the facts, it appears to the Commission that a Member State is not fulfilling its obligations, the Commission is prepared to take all necessary action within its power in order to secure the respect of Community law. In appropriate cases this action would include the opening of infringement proceedings under Article 226 (ex Article 169) of the EC Treaty.

2. A range of Community legislation lays down the public and animal health requirements to ensure that animal by-products are disposed of or processed in safe and controlled conditions to prevent the spreading of pathogens, including transmissible spongiform encephalopathies agents, in the environment. This legislation includes in particular: Council Directive 90/667/EEC of 27 November 1990 laying down the veterinary rules for the disposal and processing of animal waste, for its placing on the market and for the prevention of pathogens in feedstuffs of animal or fish origin and amending Directive 90/425/EEC(1), Council Decision 1999/534/EC of 19 July 1999 on measures applying to the processing of certain animal waste to protect against transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and amending Commission Decision 97/735/EC, and Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies(2). The non respect of those requirements could result in exposing, in a direct or in an indirect way, humans and animals to infected material.

3. No.

(1) Directive as last amended by the 1994 Act of Accession.

(2) OJ L 147, 31.5.2001. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1326/2001 of 29 June 2001 (OJ L 177, 30.6.2001).