Slaughter of organic fish

5.11.2018

Question for written answer P-005590-18
to the Commission
Rule 130
John Flack (ECR) , Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL) , Keith Taylor (Verts/ALE) , Richard Corbett (S&D) , Stefan Eck (GUE/NGL) , Klaus Buchner (Verts/ALE) , Linnéa Engström (Verts/ALE)

Article 25(h) of Commission Regulation (EC) 710/2009 on organic aquaculture requires that ‘Slaughter techniques shall render fish immediately unconscious and insensible to pain’. The recent Commission report on the welfare of farmed fish at slaughter (COM(2018)0087) states that the relevant ‘system of controls…are complied with’, by referencing the overview report entitled ‘Implementation of the Rules on Finfish Aquaculture’ (DG(SANTE) 2015-7406 — MR), which finds this system of controls only to be ‘largely adequate’. Moreover, it reports only on visits to farms and does not investigate compliance at processing facilities.

However, the Commission’s November 2017 study of European aquaculture, entitled ‘Welfare of farmed fish: Common practices during transport and at slaughter’, found that the stunning of sea bass is only taking place in the EU on an experimental basis, and that current commercial practice does not render them immediately unconscious or insensible to pain.

Following these contradictory statements, could the Commission confirm whether the production and farming of organic sea bass currently produced and sold in Europe complies with EU regulations?

Does the Commission consider that the regulations on the slaughter of organic fish are being implemented and controlled adequately?

Can consumers trust organic certification?