WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3313/97 by John IVERSEN to the Commission. Transport of calves
30. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 134/133 conserving the wetlands, and the other is for the protection of the ámarble tealí. On 29 September, a European environmental delegation visited the area to ascertain how the projects were developing, and noted that there has been an ecological disaster, which has caused a great number of bird deaths. In the last few days, fish too have started to die in large numbers, but the Council (Consejer ·a) for the Environment refuses to link the two cases. The studies commissioned so far by the authorities of the autonomous region have not yet been issued, but the analyses carried out by the Irrigation Community of the Levante, which owns the park, links these deaths to the presence of an organophosphate which is used to combat insects or agricultural plagues. 1. Does the Commission intend to get its own experts to draw up a study of these cases? If the organophosphate is confirmed as the cause of the deaths, what measures will the Commission take in 2. this connection? 3. What action does the Commission plan to carry out to restore the ecological balance in the area and enhance the development of the projects already begun? Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (13 November 1997) The Commission has no plans to carry out its own study. The management of special protected areas is a 1. matter for the Spanish authorities, in this case the Valencian autonomous community. According to information at the Commissionís disposal, the regional administration has already arranged 2. for analyses to be carried out to determine the cause of death and possibly where the responsibility lies. 3. Through the Life Nature programme, the Commission co-finances some of the measures to preserve and manage this wetland and its most representative species (purchasing a large part of the wetlands, repairing a canal which was causing the death of scores of young ducks, managing the habitat to improve its carrying capacity). (98/C 134/178) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3313/97 by John Iversen (PSE) to the Commission (20 October 1997) Subject: Transport of calves Does the Commission have precise figures on the number of calves transported to the Netherlands from other countries of the EU for rearing in factory farming conditions? Is this in accordance with the current rules on the transport of animals? Does the Commission consider that such transport is ethically defensible? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (25 November 1997) According to the Commissionís figures (Comext) in 1996 the number of calves sent to the Netherlands from the other Member States was 363 182 animals. The Commission does not have statistics on the number of these calves reared in crates. However, in the Netherlands about 25% of the calves are kept in groups. Transport of calves is permitted subject to the observance of the requirements of Directive 91/628/EEC on the protection of animals during transport (1). The Commission is not aware of any breaches of this Directive in respect of transport of calves to the Netherlands. As long as calves are transported according to the requirements of the Directive there should be no objection from the point of view of animal welfare. (1) OJ L 340, 11. 12. 1991