INTRA-COMMUNITY TRADE IN CATTLE AND PIGS:
DATA BASES
(18903)
6241/98
COM(98) 91
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Draft Council Directive amending Directive 64/432/EC on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine.
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| Legal base: |
Article 251 EC; co-decision; qualified majority voting
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| Department: |
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
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| Basis of consideration:
| SEM of 17 January 2000
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| Previous Committee Report:
| HC 155-xxiii (1997-98), paragraph 2 (1 April 1998)
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| To be discussed in Council:
| 24-25 January 2000 |
| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision:
| Cleared |
Background
4.1 In 1997, the Council adopted Regulation
(EC) No. 820/97, which established, among other things, a system
for identifying and registering cattle, including an obligation
on Member States to set up a computerised database. Such databases
would also have had to comply with the detailed provisions set
out in a further measure (Council Directive 97/12/EC), and Member
States concerned were required to apply to the Commission to have
their database approved by the Standing Veterinary Committee (SVC).
4.2 However, because the Commission was
concerned to ensure that exchanges of information could take place
between the different national databases, it subsequently brought
forward the present document, which would also have allowed it
to adopt detailed rules of application. As we noted in our Report
of 1 April 1998, the Government had said that, although the proposal
did not represent a significant extension of Commission competence,
it would be seeking assurances from the Commission that account
would be taken of the computerised tracing systems already being
developed by Member States (such as the one in place in Northern
Ireland, and that being drawn up for Great Britain). In addition,
there were doubts whether the legal base should be (the old) Article
100a, as proposed by the Commission, or (the old) Article 43 (which
the Government considered to be preferable). In view of these
points, we said that we would withhold clearance, pending further
information on them.
Supplementary Explanatory Memorandum of 17 January
2000
4.3 We have now received a Supplementary
Explanatory Memorandum of 17 January 2000 from the Minister
of State (Lords) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Food (Baroness Hayman). She says that, because of the reservations
expressed by a number of Member States (including the UK), the
proposal made very limited progress, and has now effectively been
overtaken by events. In particular, the Commission has started
assessing and recognising cattle databases using its existing
powers, and has in fact approved those of eight Member States,
plus that for Northern Ireland.
4.4 The Minister adds that, since Member
States have tended so far to concentrate on establishing a database
for cattle, and would thus fail to meet the original deadline
of 31 December 1999 for introducing one for pigs, the main effect
of the proposal as amended would simply be to provide in the latter
case for a phased introduction of information up to a final deadline
of 31 December 2002. In addition, the proposal would clarify the
information needed as regards animal movements. She considers
that, so far as the UK is concerned, this would represent a reasonable
compromise: she says Northern Ireland already has a pig database
which it believes will meet Community requirements, whilst Great
Britain can meet the first of the new deadlines for establishing
a register of all pig holdings. In the Minister's view, the proposal
would not place any additional burdens on farmers, as the information
needed is already being provided.
Conclusion
4.5 We note that developments over the
last 18 months or so have effectively overtaken the original provisions
of this proposal, and hence the concerns which we reported on
1 April 1998 no longer arise. We also note that the proposal now
simply clarifies what is needed so far as the pigs database is
concerned, and sets new deadlines, acceptable to the UK. We are
therefore now clearing the document.
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