G/SPS/N/EU/414  
 
1 October 2020  
(20-6658) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission, Health and Food Safety Directorate -
General  
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):  Products of anima l origin  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft Commission Delegated Regulation amending 
Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
on specific hygiene requirements for food of animal origin . Language(s):  English . 
Number of pages:  9 +14 pages  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/SPS/EEC/20_5856_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/SPS/EEC/20_5856_01_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The revision aims at addressing a number of requests from EU 
countries and stakeholders, while maintaining a high level of food safety.  
As regards hygiene rules on meat, the amendments introduce certain targeted flexibility, 
hence facilitating trade or alignments with the Regulations related to meat inspection, 
applica ble since December 2019 and notified earlier to the World Trade Organisation.  
As regards bivalve molluscs, the amendment removes pectenotoxins from the list of 
marine biotoxins to be analysed in live bivalve molluscs based on a scientific opinion; 
establis hes a specific model of the registration document that must accompany 
movements of live bivalve molluscs after harvesting and until their placing on the market 
and aligns the rules for echinoderms harvested outside classified production areas fixed 
in Dele gated Regulation (EU) 2019/624 to the limitations in derogation established by the 
Parliament and the Council in Regulation (EU) 2017/625.  
As regards fishery products, the amendments fix specific hygiene requirements for reefer 
vessels as regards transport  temperature and cold store maintenance, and the obligation 
on board vessels that containers used for storing and or freezing fishery products be not 
used for other purposes.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protec tion, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   G/SPS/N/EU/414  
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) : 
− General Principles of Food Hygiene and its HACCP Annex (CXC 1 -1969)  
− Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat (CAC/RCP 58 -2005)  
− Code of Practice for fish and fishery products (CAC/RCP 52 -2003)  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
Regulation (EC) No 853/2004. Latest consolidated version, available in all languages of 
the European Union at  
https://eur -lex.europa.eu/lega l-
content/EN/TXT/?qid=1592561247432&uri=CELEX%3A02004R0853 -20190726   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 4th quarter 2020.  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 4th quarter 2020.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European 
Union.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 30 November 2020  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit  D2-Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(322) 295 4263  
Fax: +(322) 299 8090  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu   
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(322) 295 4263  
Fax: +(322) 299 8090  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu