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.
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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.
Two Commission reports published today present the findings of two audit series on some Member States' systems for the authorisation of plant protection products (PPPs, commonly referred to as pesticides) and for the control of their marketing and use. PPPs are strictly regulated under EU legislation so as to ensure a high level of protection of both human and animal health and the environment. To read the full E-news article please click on the following 'read more …' link:
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The overview report describes the outcome of the joint assessments of notified bodies designated under Directives 90/385/EEC, 93/42/EEC, and 98/79/EC carried out between December 2013 and January 2017. These assessments have been mandatory since the entry into force of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 920/2013. The report concludes that joint assessments have been a useful tool to help harmonise the interpretation of designation criteria and clarify expectations in notified body performance throughout the EU and beyond. Adoption of this assessment model has fostered cooperation between the Commission services and designating authorities. It has also contributed to the smooth functioning of the medical device regulatory framework, by helping to ensure that only well-functioning, properly resourced and appropriately staffed notified bodies are authorised to conduct conformity assessment in the field of medical devices. The Commission services expect that with the recently published medical devices Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and its in vitro counterpart Regulation (EU) 2017/746, the progress already made in improving the performance of notified bodies and strengthening the EU regulatory system will continue. The report can be found at the following 'Read more...' link:
Following a request from the European Parliament*, the Commission’s DG Health and Food Safety will gather during 2017 information about the health and welfare of farmed domestic rabbits and publish the outcome in an overview report early 2018. The report will be based on feedback from questionnaires sent to all Member States and on observations from visits to farms in the biggest EU producer countries, notably France and Spain. The objective of this work is to further understanding of the rabbit production sector, identify good practices relating to the health, welfare and housing of rabbits reared for meat production. The extent of production across the EU, economic data and input from stakeholders will also be included in the overview report. *[Follow up to the European Parliament resolution of 14 March 2017 on minimum standards for the protection of farm rabbits (2016/2077(INI))]
A report on prudent use of antimicrobials in animals shows how Slovenia has managed to reduce the consumption of antimicrobials in animals by 53% from 2010 to 2013. Key to success were the implementation of several mostly voluntary initiatives by officials, professional and industrial bodies, to avoid the use of antimicrobials and encourage its prudent use. These include a national strategy to fight AMR, the drafting of prudent use guidelines for veterinary practitioners and aware-raising campaigns for the general public and for animal health professionals. Additional areas to improve the prudent use of antimicrobials have been identified by the authorities, such as: a) collecting more detailed information on the use of antibiotics on farms (for instance by breaking down this information by species and production phase), b) limiting the availability of illegally-obtained antimicrobials for veterinary use and c) encouraging veterinarians to particularly reduce the use in animals of those antimicrobials critically important for human medicine. This fact-finding mission, one of nine completed to EU Member States during 2016, forms part of the initiatives of the European Commission's action plan against the rising threats from antimicrobial resistance. The report can be found at the 'Read more...' link below.