Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-30-Speech-3-148"
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"en.20051130.14.3-148"2
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".
Mr President, I wish to thank the two rapporteurs, Mr Parish and Mrs Figueiredo, for the excellent work they have done and the very swift time in which they have done it. This does credit to all the institutions and I am very confident this directive will be adopted before the end of the year. The concerns of European citizens over avian flu and the fact that we have had the first outbreaks in Europe have made it even more important to adopt this new, updated and more effective legislation as soon as possible.
I would also like to inform you that two days ago the Commission adopted two plans with regard to public health, one on generic pandemic preparedness and the other on influenza pandemic preparedness. We also held the Common Ground joint simulation exercise last week to test our plans and those of the Member States. Introducing an effective animal health strategy will directly protect and benefit the poultry industry, but it will also indirectly protect human and public health.
I will now turn to the amendments. Later I shall circulate a list of those amendments we accept and those which we do not. There are amendments in the report which we will be happy to accept, whereas others warrant full consideration as a matter of principle but in a different context, such as those on the financial aspects, research and support to third countries.
As regards research in particular, we are working with my colleague, Mr Potočnik, towards a proposal for research into this virus, about which we know little. I shall try to speed up this process. I hope that Parliament will support us in this. It is important to get the results of this research as soon as possible so that we can plan our response. I would be very interested to hear what Members here think.
We all know – and we had an opportunity to discuss the threat of a pandemic in this House some weeks ago – that avian flu is an animal disease. We have to take all possible measures to ensure that it remains so. It is very important to deal with this threat at source – i.e. birds – and this is the aim of this new, updated version of the directive.
This directive is also of great importance for international cooperation. As I have informed Parliament in the past, I have visited South-East Asia, and in fact have just returned from there. The message there is very encouraging, because there is a political will and a strategy for dealing with this threat. However, there is also a need for international support and cooperation. We will offer that support, but we will also participate. The Commission is co-hosting the conference in Beijing with three international organisations, the OIE, FAO and WHO, as well as the World Bank, which will aim to coordinate international assistance.
We must all distinguish between avian flu, which is an animal disease, and the possible threat of a pandemic. They are two separate issues. I know that in people’s minds there is confusion. They even confuse this with seasonal flu, which is another version of flu, but it is very important for people to distinguish between the two. However, that does not mean one should not take all the necessary precautions and steps to deal with the public health threat as well.
Avian flu is an existing situation, an existing threat. We have had cases in Europe, though fortunately not in the European Union, but these cases have been dealt with very effectively and efficiently by the countries involved. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Romania, Turkey and Croatia for cooperating very closely with us.
As you know, the suspected cases in Greece proved to be false alarms, so I am pleased to say that at this point we have not had any outbreaks in poultry in the European Union itself. Nevertheless, Member States have taken very strong measures and effective preventive measures which are constantly being updated and reviewed to ensure that they reflect current needs and circumstances.
This revised directive aims for better prevention and eradication of outbreaks and to reduce health risks, costs and losses. It covers the low pathogenic version as well as the N2 pathogenic strain, but also introduces effective eradication measures, including vaccination, taking into account scientific evidence and experiences in Europe in recent years – I could mention the Netherlands case two years ago – and elsewhere in the world, and of course the need to avoid the large-scale slaughter and destruction of animals.
The Commission proposal recognises that the avian influenza virus is largely unpredictable, and therefore that we must be able to take the appropriate proportionate measures to deal with this real situation as circumstances evolve. We also take into account animal welfare and ethical concerns, especially regarding the mass slaughter of animals. You will know that has caused understandable public reaction during past animal health crises. That is why we allow Member States, through this new proposal, the option of not applying a stamping-out policy in the event of an outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza in poultry. This is why the co-financing for outbreaks of disease caused by low pathogenic virus is only 30%. This provision is aimed at discouraging Member States, whenever possible, from opting for stamping-out.
As I have mentioned, avian flu is public health concern and we are therefore taking all the necessary measures. The most effective way of doing this, as I have said already, is to tackle this virus at source. Although we are taking these measures and accept, and are responding to, the input of the European Parliament with regard to improving pandemic preparedness, we feel it inappropriate to introduce into the text of this directive those amendments that fall outside its scope – i.e. those concerning public and human health. This directive deals with animal health."@en1
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