Animal Health Directives (Hansard, 18 October 1990)

§ Mr. Maclean

Progress continues to be made within the Community in harmonising animal health controls as part of the process of the realisation of the single market. Within the last 12 months a number of key measures have been agreed, as follows:

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Directive 89/556 of 25 September 1989 on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in and imports from third countries of embryos of domestic animals of the bovine species.

Directive 89/608 of 21 November 1989 on mutual assistance between the administrative authorities of member states and co-operation between the latter and the Commission to ensure the correct application of legislation on veterinary and zootechnical matters.

Directive 89/662 of 11 December 1989 concerning veterinary checks in intra-Community trade with a view to the completion of the internal market.

Directive 90/422 of 26 June 1990 amending directive 64/432 as regards enzootic bovine leukosis.

Directive 90/423 of 26 June 1990 amending directives 85/511, 64/432 and 72/462 as regards from foot and mouth disease. Decision 90/424 of 26 June 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field.

Directive 90/425 of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market.

Directive 90/426 of 26 June 1990 on animal health conditions governing the movement and import from third countries of equidae.

Directive 90/429 of 26 June 1990 laying down the animal health requirements applicable to intra-Community trade in and imports from third countries of semen of domestic animals of the porcine species.

All these measures represent important steps toward completion of the single market. I should like particularly to refer to directive 90/423 which provides for a uniform policy for the control of foot and mouth disease (FMD). From January 1992, and in line with current United Kingdom policy, the practice of vaccination against the disease is to be discontinued throughout the Community. Thereafter the main protection against the disease will be the slaughter and destruction of animals from affected herds with compensation being paid to the owner. Once implemented this new policy will contribute significantly to liberalising controls on the movement of FMD-susceptible animals.

In addition to the measures listed above, two directives (89/662 and 90/425) have now been adopted concerning the veterinary and documentary checks that are currently conducted at points of entry to ensure that animals and animal products are healthy and comply with Community rules. Both directives provide for the eventual elimination of veterinary checks at frontiers and their substitution with a system of checks at points of origin and destination. However, as a transitional measure the directives provide us with considerable scope for maintaining frontier checks until at least the end of 1992 when both directives have to be reviewed. We are satisfied with both since they reflect our key contention that the dismantling of controls should not lead to an increased risk of the spread of disease.

Much remains to be done, however, before the end of 1992, and we still await formal proposals from the Commission for post-1992 controls. In the meantime, although we fully support the overall objective of harmonising Community health standards at the highest attainable level, and look forward to the eventual removal of barriers to trade where possible, we have no intention in the negotiations to come of jeopardising our current high animal health status.