PURPOSE: to ensure a harmonised approach to trade in breeding animals and their germinal products and their imports into the Union and to the official controls necessary to be performed on breeding programmes carried out by breed societies and breeding operations.
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: the breeding of domestic animals of the bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine and equine species, and to a lesser extent the breeding of animals of other species, occupy an important place in Union agriculture and is a source of income for the agricultural community. The breeding of animals of those species is best encouraged if purebred breeding animals or hybrid breeding pigs of recorded high genetic quality are used.
Member States have thus consistently endeavoured, as part of their agricultural policy, to promote, sometimes through public investment, the production of livestock of particular genetic characteristic that meets defined performance standards. Disparities between those standards have the potential to create technical barriers to trade in breeding animals and their germinal products and their imports into the Union.
At present Union zootechnical legislation consists of four species specific (vertical) basic acts laying down the fundamental principles, concerning breeding animals of the bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine and equine species. Technical requirements of identical nature for acceptance of breeding animals for breeding are currently regulated in three Council Directives and a Commission Decision.
A horizontal Directive, complemented by implementing measures, provides rules on imports from third countries of breeding animals and their germinal products.
Lastly, a specific Council Decision provides rules on the designation of a reference centre for breeding of bovine animals.
CONTENT: the proposed regulation provides in a single legal framework the principles relating to:
In addition, the proposal provides rules on imports from third countries of breeding animals, their semen, ova and embryos, and the designation of reference centres for breeding of animals.
Provisions are laid down in this Regulation to carry out official controls and zootechnical checks and to resolve disputes arising where zootechnical checks disclose non-compliance with zootechnical requirements.
However, the rules hereby proposed mirror those laid down in the Commission proposal for a new Regulation on official controls that is currently discussed in the European Parliament and in the Council. The Commission will closely follow the evolution of the discussions on the two texts, and will make the necessary proposals in due time in order to ensure that the provisions on official controls in the field of zootechnics are included in the forthcoming Regulation on official controls.
DELEGATED ACTS: the proposal contains provisions empowering the Commission to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.