Community policy on animal health: multi-annual eradication, control and monitoring programmes for animal diseases and zoonoses, integrated computerized veterinary system TRACES and ANIMO, information policy for food safety (amend. Decision 90/424/EEC)

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL, Portugal) and made some amendments to the Commission’s proposal:

- new recitals state that little is known about the outcome of the programmes for the eradication, control and monitoring of certain animal diseases in the various Member States. There are different attitudes to and ways of dealing with the same diseases in various Member States, even neighbouring Member States, and this may affect the efficiency of the measures taken. Particular attention should be paid to emergency situations, which require the sudden and unforeseeable disbursement of very large financial resources.

- the programme must fund support for actions to disseminate good practices and encourage the submission of joint programmes by two or more Member States and border regions, wherever this is shown to be important for the eradication, control and monitoring of contagious animal diseases, including zoonoses;

- the list in the Annex may be updated only after the European Parliament and the Council have given their opinion on the specific matter. In exceptional cases it may be amended in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 41, provided that the amendment relates to emerging animal diseases which pose a risk to animal health and, indirectly, to public health;

- each Member State may, depending on its specific circumstances, submit national programmes, which shall be co-financed by the EU, for the eradication, control and monitoring of contagious animal diseases and zoonoses;

- Parliament felt that the deadline laid down for submitting programmes (31 March) would be difficult to meet, and substituted the date 30 April. Emergency situations requiring the sudden and unforeseeable disbursement of very large financial resources shall always be admissible and shall not be subject to the deadlines in the Decision;

- every four years, the Commission must submit to the European Parliament and to the Council a report on the animal health situation and the cost-effectiveness of the implementation of programmes in the various Member States, including details of the criteria adopted;

- the list of diseases in the Annex has been amended and now includes the following: bovine leucosis; Newcastle disease; Aujeszky's disease; Swine brucellosis; BHV1; Maedi-Visna; Paratuberculosis; Mycoplasma gallisepticum.