EN   EN 
 
 
 EUROPEAN  
COMMISSION   
Brussels, XXX   
SANTE/11310/2018 CIS Rev. 2 
(POOL/G4/2018/11310/11310R1 -EN 
CIS.doc)  
[…](2018) XXX  draft  
 
COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) …/…  
of XXX  
amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Salmonella  in reptile meat  
(Text with EEA relevance)   EN 1  EN COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) …/…  
of XXX  
amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Salmonella  in reptile meat  
(Text with EEA relevance)  
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,  
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,  
Having regard to  Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs1, and in particular Article 4(4) thereof,  
Whereas:  
(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/20052 lays down the microbiological criteria 
for certain micro -organisms and the implementing rules to be complied with by food 
business operators in respect of the general and specific hygiene requ irements referred 
to in Article 4  of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.  
(2) In particular, Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 lays down food safety criteria  which 
define the acceptability of a product or a batch of foodstuff applicable  to products 
placed in the market . That Regulation  does not provide  for food safety criteria for 
reptile meat.  
(3) The "European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic 
agents and food -borne outbreaks in 2016"3 published by the European Food Safety 
Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control states 
that human salmonellosis  is the second most reported human food -borne illness in the 
Union  with around 95 000  cases reported annually . 
(4) In 2007, EFSA adopted a  scientific  opinion on public health risks in volved in the 
human consumption  of reptile meat4 according to which reptiles are well -known 
reservoirs for Salmonella species . The scientific opinion reviews farming practices and 
observes  a documented high intestinal carrier rate in live crocodilians that is reflected 
in an equally high contamination rate in their fresh and frozen meat.  The scientific 
opinion concludes that Salmonella  is considered to be the most relevant bacterial 
hazard that may occur in reptile meat  and it  constitutes a significant public health risk . 
(5) Production of reptile meat in the Union is limited, but a ccording to data available  in 
Eurostat's reference database for detailed statistics on international trade in goods 
                                                 
1 OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p.1.  
2 Commission Regulation (EC) No   2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for 
foodstuffs ( OJ L 338, 22.12.2005, p. 1). 
3 EFSA Journal 2017;15(12):5077 . 
4 EFSA Journal (2007) 578, 1 -55. EN 2  EN (Comext )5, imports  from third countries of fresh, chilled or frozen meat and edible 
offal of reptiles have show n an upward trend over the last ten years  with an increase of 
over 50% in the quantity imported during  the period 2007 -2017  and an average yearly 
import in the Union  of nearly 100 tons . 
(6) Considering the potential significant health risk posed by the possible presence of 
Salmonella  in reptile meat, a food safety criterion  should be laid down  in Regulation 
(EC) No 2073/2005  for reptile meat . This food safety criterion  should  oblige  food 
business operators to take measures at previous stages of reptile meat  production 
contribut ing to the  reduction of the presence  of all serotypes of Salmonella  with public 
health significance . 
(7) The international standard EN/ISO 6579 -1 is the horizontal method for the detection 
of Salmonella  in food and animal feeding stuffs. Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 
2073/2005 provides for that standard to be the analytical reference method for 
Salmonella  food safety  criteria.  It should, therefore, be laid down as the analytical  
reference method to verify  the compliance of a Salmonella  in reptile meat food safety  
criteri on. 
(8) Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 should therefore be amended accordingly.  
(9) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the 
Standing Committee  on Plants, An imals, Food and Feed , 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:  
Article 1  
Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005  is amended as follows : 
1. In Article 2, the following  point (n) is added :  
'(n) 'reptile meat' means  the edible parts derived from farmed reptiles, either 
unprocessed  or processed, belonging to the species Alligator mississippiensis , 
Crocodylus j ohnstoni , Crocodylus niloticus , Crocodylus porosus , Timon 
Lepidus , Python reticulatus , Python molurus bivittatus  or Pelodiscus sinensis .' 
2. Annex I is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.   
Article  2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following  that of  its publication in 
the Official Journal of the European Union .  
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States . 
                                                 
5 Combined nomenclature  codes 0208 50 00 and 0210 93 00 as defined in Commission Implementing 
Regulation (EU) 2017/1925  amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff 
and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff (OJ L 282, 31.10.2017, p. 1) . EN 3  EN Done at Brussels,  
 For the Commission  
 The President  
 Jean -Claude JUNCKER