The production of foie gras

Written question No. 709 to the Committee of Ministers | Doc. 14125 | 20 July 2016

Signatories:

Mr Dirk Van der MAELEN, Belgium, SOC

In my Written question No. 702 (Doc. 14054), I asked some precise questions, in relation to the 1999 Council of Europe recommendations that are relevant to the production of foie gras.

The reply received on 13 July 2016 (Doc. 14123) did not answer any of the questions I asked, but only provided some information about procedures, and on the suspension of activities of the Standing Committee of the Convention since 2010.

I would appreciate if precise and clear answers could be provided to my questions, for which the same introductory paragraphs of Doc. 14054 apply.

I would like to know what could be done, either to revive the activities of the Standing Committee, or to get the recommendations implemented anyway, according to clear indications of the Council of Europe, in relation to their review, and to the provision of detailed annual reports by producing countries.

Mr Van der Maelen,

To ask the Committee of Ministers,

• Are the Recommendations still legally valid, and if this is the case, in the absence of the Standing Committee, who is supposed to conduct their review, how and when? The reply given in Doc. 14123 explains the procedure, but does not say whether the two recommendations relevant to the production of foie gras, concerning Muscovy ducks and their hybrids and domestic geese respectively, still have effect, or how they can be implemented.
• In the absence of the Standing Committee, are producing countries obliged to send annual reports anyway? If so, to whom?