PURPOSE : to present a proposal for a Council Directive on Community measures for the control of classical swine fever.
CONTENT : classical swine fever, hereinafter CSF, is a viral infection of domestic and feral pigs (wild boar) that causes a serious disease with very high morality. Its concurrence in the territory of the Community impairs internal and international trade and movement of pigs and pig product.
In recent years the control of CSF has been particularly difficult in some Member States. In particular, the epidemic which occured in 1997/98 lead to heavy economic costs and losses for the Community, the Member States and the pig-farmers concerned.
The occurrence and persistence of CSF in feral pig populations, which has emerged in recent years in some areas of the Community and in some neighbouring countries which are likely to join the Community in the coming years, represent an additional and not easily solvable problem.
Therefore, there is a need to change some of the measures so far adopted for the control of CSF, to take into account the most recent knowledge and experiences acquired in eradicating the disease, the development of new diagnostic tools and vaccines and the opinions delivered by the Scientific Steering Committee on these issues.
In addition, there is also the need to consolidate the provisions laid down in Council Directive 80/217/EEC of 22 December 1980 introducing Community measures for the control of classical swine fever, which has been substantially amended on a number of occasions.
Indeed, with the specific aim of consolidating Council Directive 80/217/EEC and its amendments, the Commission has already sent a proposal for official codification to the legislator.
Therefore,in accordance with paragraph 8 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 December 1994 on accelerated working method for official codification of legislative texts and with the joint declaration on the said point, the present proposal recasts Council Directive 80/217.EEC, since it is aimed at:
- consolidating and replacing 80/217/EEC and its amendments;
- introducing some substantial changes to the provisions so far adopted for the control of CSF.
In addition, the present proposal establishes provisions for the use of marker vaccines in emergencies, within the framework of the current non-vaccine policy.
Finally, in this proposal substantial changes to Directive 80/217/EEC have been underlined to allow the legislator an easier comparison between the two texts. It should be noted that this proposal replaces the proposal for official codification already sent to the legislator. �