. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/EEC/170
25 July 2002
(02-4130)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Commission of the European Communities. Health & Consumer
Protection Directorate-General, Directorate E – Food Safety: Plant Health, Animal Health
and Welfare, International questions
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):   Collagen for human consumption and raw materials for its production such as:
bovine connective tissue of hides and tendons, calf skins, sheep skins and pig skins
intended for processing (TARIC position 4100);  waste of raw hides or skins (0511.99.10)
and other collagen-rich products (0202.20.3092, 0202.30.1093, 0202.30.5093, 0202.30.9050,
0202.30.9070, 0206.29.9132, 0206.29.9150) if used for collagen production.  ICS num.
67.120.10.  [Note :  The Integrated Tariff of the Community TARIC is available at:http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/databases/taric_en.htm  ]
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Member States of the European Communities (EEC) and third countries exporting the
products concerned to the EEC.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  SANCO/4366/2001-
Rev.6 Draft Commission Decision amending Council Directive 92/118/EEC as regards
requirements for collagen (14 pages) Available in English.  (Other Communities languageswill be ready soon).
6. Description of content:   The proposed measures lay down specific health conditions for
domestic EC production and imports of collagen intended for human consumption.  It covers:
(i) establishments producing collagen;  (ii) raw materials and establishments supplying them;
(iii) finished products;  (iv) packaging, storage and transport;  and (v) import from third
countries of collagen and raw materials intended for the production of collagen intended forhuman consumption.
The major differences with existing measures (notified in G/SPS/N/EEC/74) are the
following:  Raw materials:  Ruminant bones are excluded.  Manufacture of collagen (a)
Different from the one used for the manufacture of gelatine.  (b) Only preservatives permitted
under Community legislation may be used. Health certificates:  The proposed measures
provides for import health certificates for collagen and raw materials.
7. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ]  protect territory from other
damage from pestsG/SPS/N/EEC/170
Page 2
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [ X ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:   The proposed measures correspond with the EU
Scientific Steering Committee opinion on the safe ty of food with regard to transmissible
spongiform encephalophathies risks of collagen produced from hides and skins
(10 May 2001).  http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out204_en.pdf
9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   SANCO/4366/2001-
Rev.6 Draft Commission Decision amending C ouncil Directive 92/118/EEC as regards
requirements for collagen .  When adopted it will be published in the Official Journal of the
European Communities.
Note:  This proposal also relates to Commission Decision 1999/724/EC amending Annex II
to Council Directive 92/118/EEC and laying  down animal health and public health
requirements governing trade in and imports into the Community of gelatine, (O.J. L 290,12/11/1999 p. 32 – 40) notified in inG/SPS/N/EEC/74 (6 July 2002).
10. Proposed date of adoption:   30 September 2002
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   30 January 2003
12. Final date for comments:   Sixty (60) days after the date of notification
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification
authority, [ X ] EC enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority,  [ X ]  EC enquiry point, or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
The Official Journal of the European Communities is available at:  http://europa.eu.int/eur-
lex/en/oj/index.html .  The Opinion of the Scientific Steering Committee are available at
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/outcome_en.html