A new Commission overview report provides a better understanding of the commercial rabbit farming sector in the European Union. The actual size of rabbit farming in the EU is just over a third of previously available figures and it is highly concentrated in Spain, France and Italy. The report outlines the factors that contribute to the animal welfare of rabbits at the time of production and their impact in the different production systems. It concludes that the rabbit farming sector is broadly in line with existing EU legislative requirements regarding protection of rabbits at the time of production. The report follows the European Parliament report on "Minimum standards for the protection of farmed rabbits" which called upon the EU Commission to draw a roadmap towards minimum standards for the protection of farmed rabbits
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A new Commission report presents an overview of the efforts being made in the EU to tackle issues relating to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animals. It illustrates the benefits of taking a holistic approach to animal health to help prevent infections complimented by a range of measures to ensure antimicrobials are chosen and used prudently when necessary. Where applied, these have helped to reduce significantly the use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine without adversely affecting welfare or productivity issues. Encouragingly, there are signs that these approaches can lead to reduced levels of AMR. The report highlights potential examples of good practice and some challenges which may be useful to other countries in developing and implementing their policies for the prudent use of antimicrobials in animals.
A new Commission report about the 2016-2017 EU surveys for potato bacteria showes a continued reduction of ring rot in the EU. Only seven Member States were affected, the lowest number since 2001, and the incidence in seed potatoes has decreased by approximately 15% compared to 2015. For potato brown rot, the overall incidence of the disease in the EU remains very low with a further reduction in the 2016-2017 season. However, the disease re-appeared in seed potatoes in two Member States after a couple of years' absence from the EU seed potato sector. Both ring rot and brown rot remain plant health priorities in the EU with almost 100,000 potato samples analysed for each disease every year. Continuous control efforts by affected Member States are necessary for the ultimate eradication of these diseases.
A new Commission report finds improved notification practices by Member States (MS) about the presence of organisms harmful to plants, detected on their territories. The number of these notifications has increased by 42% between 2014 and 2016. The report finds further that the format and content of MS notifications improved in response to new EU legal requirements introduced in 2014. This positive trend is expected to continue due to the launch of a new protocol and the web-based notification system EUROPHYT-Outbreaks at the start of 2017. Organisms harmful to plants like certain insects, mites, bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites can cause serious phytosanitary risks. Early and comprehensive notifications of outbreaks support timely decision making at EU level and increase the level of protection against phytosanitary risks of the EU territory. The Commission uses the notification data to take action via the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed and/or to carry out audits to MS, assessing if control systems are effective in eradicating or avoiding the spread of the harmful organisms.
A new Commission report outlines how private certification schemes in the feed sector, are used by competent authorities in Member States, when planning and implementing official controls. It found that in four Member States there were well-developed interactions with private certification schemes, resulting in a reduction of official controls for feed business operators who are members of recognised private certification schemes. It further highlights potential benefits of, as well as challenges to, the interactions between official feed control systems and private certification schemes. The report is based on the outcome of study visits to three Member States, a survey and a workshop with Member States during 2015 and 2016.
A new Commission report indicates that it is difficult to get a clear picture of the welfare of European dairy cows. Although different stakeholders look at longevity, occurrence of mastitis, incidence of reproductive diseases and lameness, Member States do not collect and analyse data from farms systematically, which means it is not possible to know the trends for these parameters. Somatic cell count – which is an indicator for mastitis - is the only factor systematically monitored and with clear limits for intervention related to welfare in dairy cows. Strategies which use well monitored animal-based welfare indicators offer the most promising solution in overcoming current difficulties to demonstrate the real level of welfare in dairy cows.
Today the Commission published the reports of fact-finding missions to Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark on the sustainable use of pesticides. These reports are the first to be published arising from a series of fact-finding missions to six Member States in 2017 to investigate the implementation of measures laid down in Directive 2009/128/EC. The objective of this Directive is to achieve a sustainable use of pesticides by reducing the risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment. It also aims to promote the use of Integrated Pest Management and of alternative approaches or techniques, such as non-chemical alternatives to pesticides. Member States have drawn up National Action Plans (NAP) to implement the range of actions set out in the Directive. Examples of good practices were noted in all three Member States, such as precision pesticide application on railways in Denmark, the integrated education, research and advisory services in some Länder in Germany and the detailed record keeping required of growers in the Netherlands. These reports, together with an Overview Report on all six fact-finding missions are available at the link below. These reports also provided a basis for a recent report to the European Parliament and to the Council, which takes stock of progress made by Member States on the sustainable use of pesticides, also available at the link below.
The European Commission is organising a three day meeting, sharing valuable insights from top experts on how to rear pigs with intact tails and thus improve their welfare. The meeting is aimed at industry stakeholders, the authorities of EU Member States, researchers, and NGOs. The presentations and discussions for this event will focus on the practicalities of rearing pigs with intact tails and how to assess and manage the risk factors relating to tail biting. You are invited to participate on-line in the webcast of the meeting, which will take place at the Commission's Health and food audit and analysis Directorate in Ireland. To follow the webcast, just click on the 'Read more...' link below:
Today, the Commission adopted a report addressed to the European Parliament and to the Council on the sustainable use of pesticides Directive (2009/128/EC) which takes stock of progress made by Member States on a range of topics, including training of professionals, aerial spraying and information to the general public. Although the Directive provides a wide variety of potential measures to reduce the risks and impacts of pesticides, the report shows that implementation of measures remains patchy, as some Member States have been more active than others. The report highlights the key areas where improvement is needed, in particular as regards the use of all tools available under Integrated Pest Management. This report is accompanied by an overview report which includes a more detailed analysis and also many examples of good practice being implemented by the six Member States which were visited as part of a fact finding series earlier in 2017. The Commission also launched today a new website which contains links to Member States' websites on sustainable use of pesticides, including Integrated Pest Management, with a view to facilitating the exchange of information between them and increase the flow of relevant information to farmers and the general public. Finally it published a Guidance on monitoring and surveying of impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment. NOTE: Directive 2009/128/EC aims to achieve a sustainable use of pesticides in the EU by reducing the risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment. It also aims to promote the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and of alternative approaches or techniques, such as non-chemical alternatives to pesticides. Member States have drawn up National Action Plans to implement the range of actions set out in the Directive.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognised as a significant and world-wide threat to both human and animal health, and the European Commission has been at the forefront in developing and supporting strategies to combat this threat. The collection and analysis of reliable and comparable data is crucial to understand current and future trends in the development of AMR, and therefore designing strategies to minimise it. In the European Union, legislation put in place in January 2014 specifies how Member States should sample, test and report the results for AMR in animals and food of animal origin. The Commission has audited the performance of several Member States in this respect. This first interim overview report demonstrates that Member States generally comply with AMR monitoring requirements, but also face obstacles to success. The report highlights in what areas Members States can strengthen compliance and where the European Commission can improve legal requirements.