G/SPS/N/EU/128  
 
22 May 2015  
(15-2696)  Page: 1/3  
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; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Bovine meat and meat products (fresh meat, minced 
meat, meat preparations, meat products, rendered animal fat, greaves, gelatine and 
collagen other than derived from hides and skins, treated intestines), bovine by-
products (rendered fats intended to be used as organic fertilisers or soil improvers, bones and bone products, petfood, blood products, processed animal protein, gelatine 
and collagen other than from hides and skins, and other category 3 material and derived 
products except for hides and skins, gelatine  and collagen derived from hides and skins, 
fat derivatives) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries: Non-EU countries with controlled or 
undetermined BSE risk status which are authorised for import of the above 
mentioned commodities into the European Union  
5. Title of the notified document: Commission Regulation (EU) No 2015/728 of 
6 May 2015 amending the definition of specified risk material set out in Annex V to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform 
encephalopathies  Language(s): English, French and Spanish  Number of pages: 2 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/SPS/EEC/15_2106_00_e.pdf  
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/SPS/EEC/15_2106_00_f.pdf  
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/SPS/EEC/15_2106_00_s.pdf  
6. Description of content: Regulation (EU) No 2015/728 facilitates trade by 
approximating the EU list of Specified Risk Materials (SRM) as regards bovine intestine 
with the relevant international standard. 
In line with international standards, the EU SRM list applies only for import into the 
European Union from non-EU countries with controlled or undetermined BSE risk status.  
As far as bovine intestines are concerned, the EU SRM list comprised so far the entirety 
of bovine intestines and mesentery. With Regulation (EU) No 2015/728, the EU SRM list, as far as bovine intestines are concerned, comprises only the last four meters of the 
small intestine (i.e. the ileum and a small part of the jejunum), the caecum and the 
mesentery. 
Regulation (EU) No 2015/728 is based on a scientific opinion of the European Food 
Safety Authority ( http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/ efsajournal/pub/3554.htm ) which 
indicates that, in BSE infected cattle, the BSE infectivity in the bovine intestines and G/SPS/N/EU/128 
 
- 2 - 
 
  mesentery is concentrated in the last four meters of the bovine intestines, in the caecum 
and in the mesentery. 
7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [X] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text)   
[X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)  Article 11.4.14 of the OIE Terrestrial 
Animal Health Code  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[ ] None Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
[ ] Yes   [X] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard: There is a slight deviation from international standard, based 
on scientific evidence. Regulation (EU) No  2015/728 is indeed directly based on a 
scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/ efsajournal/pub/3554.htm ) which indicates that, in BSE 
infected cattle, the BSE infectivity in the bovine intestines and mesentery is 
concentrated in the last four meters of the bovine intestines, in the caecum and in the 
mesentery. 
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available: 
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/ efsajournal/pub/3554.htm    
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 6 May 2015 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 7 May 2015 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : 27 May 2015 
[X] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable 
Agency or authority designated to hand le 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 G6-Multilateral International Relations 
Rue Froissart 101 B-1049 Brussels 
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263 
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090 E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu G/SPS/N/EU/128 
 
- 3 - 
 
  13. Text(s) available from: [X] National Notifi cation 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 G6-Multilateral International Relations 
Rue Froissart 101 B-1049 Brussels 
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263 
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090 E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu