Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-03-14-Speech-3-189"
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"en.20010314.7.3-189"2
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"Mr President, I am glad of this opportunity to up-date Parliament on the latest developments in the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom and now also in France.
I would like to conclude with an assurance that the Commission will continue to put all its resources into eradicating this outbreak as quickly as possible. I continue to be impressed by the huge commitment of Member States to the rapid and decisive action to restore the entire EU to its previous disease-free status.
You will recall that the first outbreak in the UK was confirmed in the evening of 20 February. The Commission adopted a safeguard decision the following day, 21 February. This measure imposed a ban on the export of certain live animals – cattle, sheep and goats – from the UK and restrictions on the export of meat, meat products, milk and milk products and certain animal products. Since then further measures have been introduced to ban movements of livestock throughout the European Union. This measure is precautionary and aimed at reducing any potential for the spread of the disease to a minimum. It must also be viewed in the context of the continued increase in cases in the United Kingdom. Any expectation that the crisis would end quickly have been disappointed. Clearly we need to be very concerned at the progress of the outbreak.
Three factors in particular are disturbing. First, the continuing uncertainty over whether the incidence in the UK will peak, second, the discovery of a case in France which ends our hopes that the outbreak might be confined to the UK and third, the restrictions imposed by third countries, on imports of Community products, many totally unjustified. I would now like to look at each of these three concerns, beginning with the incidence in the UK.
It is clearly disappointing that expectations that the incidence of the disease would shortly peak have not been realised. The veterinary experts remain of the view that the restrictions on animal movements will, in time, limit the potential spread of the disease. This highlights the continued need for vigilance in the UK and for the strictest possible implementation of the measures already in place. Since the initial decision to ban exports of certain meat and meat products, dairy products and so on, there has been a ban on movements of livestock both in the UK and in other Member States. While these restrictions are naturally unpopular, they are a small price to pay compared to the consequences of not quickly eradicating this disease. I would hope that this greater good is not lost sight of in the present crisis.
So, turning to France, I am sure that everybody shares the Commission's concern at the discovery of the first case of the disease on the European mainland. As you are no doubt aware, a case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed yesterday in north-west France in the Mayenne region. It was detected in a cattle farm under restrictions imposed preventatively more than a week prior to the confirmation of the outbreak. The cattle farm is next to a farm to which incubating sheep had been imported from the United Kingdom on 16 February, a few days before the UK outbreak was known about. The sheep from the UK had been destroyed on 1 March as a preventive measure in accordance with the relevant Commission decision. The slaughter and destruction of all 114 cattle in the outbreak confirmed yesterday started yesterday evening and this operation is still on-going. This discovery dashes our hopes that the disease could be confined to the UK. However, we can take considerable comfort from the very decisive action taken by the French authorities to isolate and destroy livestock potentially exposed to contaminated animals imported from the UK. The early action to restrict movements of livestock in France should also have reduced the potential spread of the disease. These measures, wrongly viewed as excessive by some, have proved to be very prudent. Nonetheless, there is a risk of further outbreaks and the situation will have to be very closely monitored. The Standing Veterinary Committee took the decision late yesterday evening to ban exports of susceptible animals from France and also to impose restrictions on the movement of animals and certain products from the Mayenne department and the adjoining department of Orne. Clearly, any further outbreaks would require additional restrictions on the regions concerned, but the prompt action taken by the French authorities will hopefully ensure that there will be no need for more draconian measures.
Turning to third countries. the Commission is deeply disappointed that the very decisive action taken to tackle the current outbreak has not received the recognition it deserves. Instead of being reassured by this action, third countries have, in many cases, responded with both excessive and, in my view, unnecessary restrictions. The Commission is consulting urgently with the third countries concerned to establish the basis and rationale for the restrictions. We shall, of course, be explaining the measures already in place, which make such restrictions unnecessary, and we shall make full use of our bilateral contacts and our WTO trade arrangements to have these restrictions lifted.
I have already been in contact with the US Secretary of Agriculture this afternoon regarding the measures imposed by the United States. I was reassured by the Secretary that these measures will be reviewed urgently. We have agreed that our respective veterinary services should cooperate urgently on finding solutions. We agreed to remain in close contact until a solution is found and I am convinced of her goodwill in that regard.
As an example of the approach followed by the Commission, I would point to the Community approach towards Argentina. Beef imports have been permitted from Argentina despite its regional problems with foot-and-mouth disease. This was, of course, subject to very strict controls. The beef had to be from BSE-free regions, deboned and matured, to eliminate the risk of transmission of the disease. It was only following the further recent outbreaks, the introduction of vaccination and the self-imposed ban on exports to the United States and Canada that the Commission felt compelled to ban imports of beef from Argentina. The Commission remains nonetheless committed to a regionalisation approach in which exports can be allowed to resume in safe conditions.
On a more general level, I would once more like to defend the firm action taken by the Commission in dealing with the current outbreak. It is an essential and very necessary reaction to a highly infectious disease, with potentially huge economic and trade consequences for the entire European Union. This approach continues to enjoy the strong support of the Member States in the Standing Veterinary Committee and in the Agriculture Council. I firmly believe that the veterinary authorities, the Member States and the Commission have been working together very closely and effectively. The approach is also supported by EU farmers, who are very conscious of the grave threat to their livelihood from this disease. There is still a consensus that vaccination should be a last resort, to be introduced only in the circumstances I outlined before, namely as a preventive step to stop the further spread of the disease pending eradication measures."@en1
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