Très mauvaise nouvelle : le Diclofénac arrive en Europe (Espagne, Italie). C’est l’anti-inflammatoire vétérinaire qui a décimé massivement les vautours du sous-continent indien (lire notre article ici) il y a une quinzaine d’années (ils ne s’en sont jamais remis).
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par Yves Thonnérieux
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Ci-dessous, une lettre (en anglais) du directeur de la Vulture Conservation Foundation.
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Dear friends,
I hope this email will find you well. Unfortunately I am bringing you some bad news – Europe´s vultures are now facing one of their greatest challenges ever, possibly even more dangerous and severe than the EU sanitary regulations introduced in the early 2000s: Diclofenac
Veterinary diclofenac kills vultures and caused a dramatic (99%) and rapid decline in the vultures in the Indian subcontinent – significant effort has been spent to successfully ban the marketing of this drug in that region, as non-toxic alternatives exist. The appearance of this drug in Europe – it is now legally on sale in Spain and Italy, and has been exported from Italy to countries like Serbia & Turkey – represents a new and significant threat to the European vulture populations, and creates a precedent that can have global impact on the world´s vultures. The Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) has been on this case ever since we were alerted about this significant threat. VCF and BirdLife International prepared and sent this week to the EU a formal request to ban this veterinary drug.
Veterinary diclofenac is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug that could be used to treat cattle. However, diclofenac causes acute renal failure in vultures. In the last 3 decades, the appearance of veterinary diclofenac in the Indian subcontinent led to the massive decline of several species of vulture there – now only 1% of the tens of millions of vultures that occurred in South Asia remain. Population declines in India over the period 1992-2007 ranged between 97,5% and 99,9%, depending on the species .
Vultures die from kidney failure within two days of eating tissues of cattle treated with a veterinary dose of diclofenac. In India, less that 1% of cattle carcasses available to vultures would need to contain a lethal level of diclofenac to account for the observed rapid rates of decline. Cost for the Indian society of the vulture crisis there was estimated at 34 billion US$. A vulture-safe alternative anti-inflammatory drug exists, meloxicam.
The licensing of veterinary diclofenac drugs for livestock farming, in Italy and recently in Spain (since 2013), poses a significant new threat for these species in our continent. Unfortunately the necessary risk assessments done in the national approval process did not include the potential significant impact on vultures. The situation in Spain in particular is of high risk, as this country hosts the bulk of the European vulture populations – 90% of the European griffons, 97% of the black vultures, 85% of the Egyptian vultures and 67% of the bearded vultures in Europe. These, and in particular griffons and black vultures (the most common), feed often on carcasses of domestic animals left in the fields, or at dedicated vulture feeding points that offer them large amounts of cattle and swine from extensive and intensive unit.
Considering the proven impacts of diclofenac on vultures, the feeding habits of European vultures, and the distribution and the status of vultures in Europe, it is clear that we are facing a potential crisis. This also sets dangerous precedents for African and Asian countries, which could import diclofenac from Europe.
For the VCF, the case is crystal-clear – it is really a question of learning from what happened in India! In case of risks to the environment or human health, Member States and/or the Commission can launch a Referral procedure to eventually ban a certain drug. The fact that a safe alternative exists, that the EU nature conservation legislation protects these birds, and the EU tax payer has already invested millions of Euros in the conservation of European vultures, should offer no doubt – Veterinary diclofenac must simply be banned from Europe!
We have now sent to the EU and to some EU member states a formal request for them to start a Referral procedure for a withdrawal of marketing authorization of diclofenac under Article 35 of Directive 2001/82/EC, based on its risks for vulture populations in Europe. We have also issued a press release. You can find both the press-release and also a full briefing at www.4vultures.org/news
Please send the press-release to your press contacts, and help share this information. You can also write to your veterinary and environmental authorities to press the point.
News about this are also out in our Facebook and Twitter – please share and retweet.
Let´s hope for the best – but prepare for the worst.
José Tavares (VCF)
j.tavares@4vultures.org
Vulture Conservation Foundation
Wuhrstrasse 12. CH-8003 Zurich, Switzerland
Tel. +90 532 461 3463 | http://www.4vultures.org/
Together for Vultures