WRITTEN QUESTION P-2577/99 by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Transport of animals.
C 225 E/172 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 8. 8. 2000 It is up to the regulatory authorities in Member States to apply the above principles of Community pharmaceutical legislation and to take concrete decisions on authorisations and restrictions (e. g. medical prescription) for specific products. The Commission is not considering a proposal to change that approach. In the context of this question, the attention of the Honourable Member is also drawn to the answer already delivered by the Commission to Written Question P-2317/99 by Mr Fitzsimons (2) on regulatory control on herbal medicinal products in the Community. (1) OJ 22, 9. 2. 1965. (2) See page 97. (2000/C 225 E/190) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2577/99 by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (16 December 1999) Subject: Transport of animals It is clear from recent television pictures of horse transport that the provisions of the Transport of Animals Directive are not being properly enforced in many Member States. The Commission has a duty to monitor the way that Member States are enforcing this Directive. However, for some years now, only one Inspector from the Food and Veterinary Office has been given this task. When will the Commission take its responsibilities in this area more seriously and increase the number of Inspectors to 12, as demanded by the Council of Agriculture Ministers in June 1995? Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission (27 January 2000) The Commission is aware of the problems in relation to animal welfare reported by different television broadcasters in Europe. Reports by its food and veterinary office (FVO) and complaints from various animal welfare organisations also indicate that problems continue to exist in this domain. The Commission fully shares the Honourable Memberís views on the importance of protecting animal welfare in the field of transport. The Commission is still in the process of recruiting inspection personnel and a number of new staff have specific responsibilities for monitoring the implementation of animal welfare legislation which applies in the Member States. The Commission is aware of the increasing importance attached to animal welfare by consumers and will continue to ensure that, amongst its other responsibilities, animal welfare will be given corresponding importance. Given the importance of the issue, inspectors take account of animal welfare issues during missions in Member States. The practice of performing combined inspections will increase the level of information available concerning the enforcement of Community legislation in this field