Elisabeth Jeggle (PPE-DE). – (DE) Mr President, Commissioner, let me start by giving my very sincere thanks to our rapporteur, Mr Graefe zu Baringdorf. Not only in this report but also over many years in the past, he has always followed a clear line, which aims to achieve what we have achieved today: creating clarity for farmers and setting out clear requirements in the field of placing feed on the market and the use thereof.

Today, we are discussing the second step, and this, in particular, has become clear time and again. Commissioner, yesterday evening, last night, we discussed the first step: production. I should like to return to this. The type of production and the type of controls on production are the most important prerequisites for this report, to ensure that ultimately, we have healthy, safe feed from which to produce healthy, safe food.

I should like to reiterate my conviction that businesses that also process food to make feed should be subject to better scrutiny, that the HACCP concept should be required as a basis for authorisation – possibly for authorisation throughout Europe – as that has also been a problem in both yesterday’s and today’s debates. We need the same controls for the same risks throughout the European Union. Although we can never rule out abuses, this report and also yesterday’s debate have laid good foundations for safety without going over the top. This is another point made in today’s report, of course: that we have learned from developments following the BSE crisis, and that we now know that quite a few things can – and must – be done differently.

I wish to reiterate my thanks to our rapporteur, who has produced a good report today out of all the negotiations here. I hope that he receives one hundred per cent support from this House.