COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1086/2011  
of 27 October 2011  
amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council and Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards  salmonella  in 
fresh poultry 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 2160/2003 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 
2003 on the control of salmonella and other specified food- 
borne zoonotic agents (  1 ), and in particular Article 5(6) thereof,  
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene 
of foodstuffs (  2 ), and in particular Article 4(4) thereof,  
Whereas:  
(1) Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 aims at ensuring that 
proper and effective measures are taken to detect and 
control salmonella and other zoonotic agents at all 
relevant stages of production, processing and distribution 
in order to reduce their prevalence and the risk they pose 
to public health. That Regulation covers, amongst other 
things, the adoption of targets for the reduction of the 
prevalence of specified zoonoses in animal populations 
and the adoption of rules concerning trade within the 
Union and imports from third countries of certain 
animals and products thereof.  
(2) Commission Regulation (EC) No 646/2007 of 12 June 
2007 implementing Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of 
the European Parliament and of the Council as regards a 
Community target for the reduction of the prevalence of  
Salmonella enteritidis  and  Salmonella typhimurium  in 
broilers and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1091/2005 (  3 ) 
sets a Union target for the reduction of those two 
serotypes of salmonella in broilers. That Regulation 
aims for a reduction to be achieved in the number of 
flocks of broilers remaining positive to  Salmonella enter ­
itidis  and  Salmonella typhimurium  to 1 % or less by 
31 December 2011.  
(3) Commission Regulation (EC) No 584/2008 of 20 June 
2008 implementing Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of 
the European Parliament and of the Council as regards a Community target for the reduction of the prevalence of  
Salmonella enteritidis  and  Salmonella typhimurium  in 
turkeys (  4 ) sets a Union target for the reduction of 
those two serotypes of salmonella in turkey flocks. 
That Regulation aims for a reduction to be achieved in 
the number of fattening turkey flocks remaining positive 
to Salmonella enteritidis  and  Salmonella typhimurium  to 1 % 
or less by 31 December 2012.  
(4) Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 sets out 
specific measures to be taken for the control of the 
zoonoses and zoonotic agents listed in Annex I 
thereto. More specifically, point 1 of Part E of Annex II 
to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 provides that, as from 
12 December 2010, certain fresh poultry meat from 
animals listed in Annex I thereto may not be placed 
on the market for human consumption unless it meets 
the criterion: ‘Salmonella: absence in 25 grams’. That 
Regulation also provides for detailed rules for that 
criterion to be laid down, in particular, rules specifying 
sampling schemes and analytical methods.  
(5) As regards fresh poultry meat, provision should be made 
to ensure that the detailed rules for the salmonella 
criterion in poultry meat result in a reasonable 
assurance that it is free from the relevant salmonella 
and that a harmonised application results in fair 
competition and similar conditions for placing on the 
market.  
(6) Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 
15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for 
foodstuffs (  5 ) lays down microbiological criteria for 
certain micro-organisms and the implementing rules 
that are to be complied with by food business 
operators when implementing the general and specific 
hygiene measures referred to in Article 4 of Regulation 
(EC) No 852/2004.  
(7) In the interests of consistency of Union legislation, it is 
appropriate to amend the specific requirements 
concerning fresh poultry meat set out in Part E of 
Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 and to 
introduce detailed rules of the salmonella criterion in 
Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005.EN 28.10.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 281/7  
( 1 ) OJ L 325, 12.12.2003, p. 1.  
( 2 ) OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 1.  
( 3 ) OJ L 151, 13.6.2007, p. 21.  ( 4 ) OJ L 162, 21.6.2008, p. 3.  
( 5 ) OJ L 338, 22.12.2005, p. 1.(8) In accordance with Commission Decision 2005/636/EC 
of 1 September 2005 concerning a financial contribution 
of the Community towards a baseline survey on the 
prevalence of  Salmonella  spp. in broiler flocks of  Gallus 
gallus  to be carried out in the Member States (  1 ), 
Commission Decision 2006/662/EC of 29 September 
2006 concerning a financial contribution from the 
Community towards a baseline survey on the prevalence 
of salmonella in turkeys to be carried out in the Member 
States (  2 ) and Commission Decision 2007/516/EC of 
19 July 2007 concerning a financial contribution from 
the Community towards a survey on the prevalence and 
antimicrobial resistance of  Campylobacter  spp. in broiler 
flocks and on the prevalence of  Campylobacter  spp. and  
Salmonella  spp. in broiler carcases to be carried out in the 
Member States (  3 ) information was collected on the 
prevalence of salmonella in broiler flocks, turkey flocks 
and broiler carcases, respectively. The results of these 
surveys, as well as preliminary results of the first year 
of national salmonella control programmes in broilers 
(2009) in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EC) 
No 2160/2003 show that salmonella prevalence in flocks 
of broilers and turkeys is still high (  4 ). In addition, 
national salmonella control programmes in turkeys in 
accordance with Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 only 
became mandatory from 2010 onwards. The application 
of the criterion to all salmonella serotypes before a 
notable reduction of the prevalence of salmonella in 
flocks of broilers and turkeys has been demonstrated 
may result in a disproportionate economic impact for 
the industry. Chapter 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) 
No 2073/2005 should therefore be amended.  
(9) According to the Community Summary Report on trends 
and sources of zoonoses, and zoonotic agents and food- 
borne outbreaks in the European Union in 2008 (  5 ) by 
the European Food Safety Authority approximately 80 % 
of human salmonellosis cases are caused by  Salmonella 
enteritidis  and  Salmonella typhimurium  which is similar to 
preceding years. Poultry meat remains a major source of 
human salmonellosis.  
(10) Setting a criterion for  Salmonella enteritidis  and  Salmonella 
typhimurium  would provide the best balance between 
reducing human salmonellosis attributed to the 
consumption of poultry meat and the economic conse ­
quences of the application of that criterion. At the same 
time, it would encourage food business operators to take 
measures at previous stages of poultry production that 
may contribute to the reduction of all serotypes of 
salmonella with public health significance. Focusing on 
those two serotypes would also be consistent with the 
Union targets set for primary production of poultry.  
(11) The sampling plans for other salmonella food safety 
criteria have been provided for in Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005. They have been demonstrated to be practical 
for use by food business operators and are therefore also 
appropriate for fresh poultry meat sampling.  
(12) The international standard EN/ISO 6579 is the horizontal 
method for the detection of  Salmonella  spp. in food and 
animal feeding stuffs. In addition, Annex I to Regulation 
(EC) No 2073/2005 provides for that standard to be the 
reference method for all salmonella criteria. It should, 
therefore, also be laid down as a reference method for 
the criterion for fresh poultry meat, without prejudice to 
provisions on the use of alternative methods laid down 
in that Regulation. The European Union Reference 
Laboratory for Salmonella recommends that it is appro ­
priate to use the White-Kaufmann-Le Minor scheme as 
reference method for serotyping.  
(13) Monophasic strains of  Salmonella typhimurium  have 
rapidly emerged as one of the most commonly found 
serotype of salmonella in several species of animals and 
in clinical isolates from humans. According to the 
Scientific Opinion on monitoring and assessment of 
the public health risk of ‘ Salmonella typhimurium -like’ 
strains (  6 ) monophasic  Salmonella typhimurium  strains 
with the antigenic formula 1,4,[5],12:i:- are considered 
as variants of  Salmonella typhimurium  and current 
evidence has shown that these strains appear to pose a 
public health risk comparable to that of other  Salmonella 
typhimurium  strains. Therefore, it is appropriate to clarify 
that provisions for  Salmonella typhimurium  are applicable 
also to these monophasic strains.  
(14) Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 lays down a process 
hygiene criterion for salmonella in poultry carcases of 
broilers and turkeys after chilling in slaughterhouses. 
The process hygiene criterion aims at controlling faecal 
contamination of poultry carcases if derived from 
infected flocks or due to cross-contamination in the 
slaughterhouse. Under Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 
2073/2005, the criteria and conditions concerning the 
presence of salmonella in poultry carcases are to be 
revised in the light of the changes observed in salmonella 
prevalence. Since the Union targets laid down for flocks 
of broilers in Regulation (EC) No 646/2007, and for 
turkeys in Regulation (EC) No 584/2008, must be 
achieved by the end of 2011 and the end of 2012 
respectively, the number of sample units accepted to 
exceed the set limit should be decreased. Chapter 2 of 
Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 should 
therefore be amended accordingly.  
(15) Regulations (EC) No 2160/2003 and (EC) No 2073/2005 
should therefore be amended accordingly.EN L 281/8 Official Journal of the European Union 28.10.2011  
( 1 ) OJ L 228, 3.9.2005, p. 14.  
( 2 ) OJ L 272, 3.10.2006, p. 22.  
( 3 ) OJ L 190, 21.7.2007, p. 25.  
( 4 ) www.efsa.europa.eu  
( 5 ) EFSA Journal  (2010); 8(1): 1496.  (  6 ) EFSA Journal  (2010); 8(10): 1826.(16) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in 
accordance with the opinion of the Standing 
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health and 
neither the European Parliament nor the Council has 
opposed them,  
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:  
Article 1  
In Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003, point 1 of Part 
E is replaced by the following:  
‘1. From 1 December 2011, fresh poultry meat from animal 
populations listed in Annex I shall meet the relevant microbiological criterion set out in Row 1.28 of Chapter 
1 of Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 
2073/2005 (*).  
___________  
(*) OJ L 338, 22.12.2005, p. 1.’.  
Article 2  
Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 is amended in 
accordance with the Annex to this Regulation:  
Article 3  
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following 
its publication in the  Official Journal of the European Union . 
It shall apply from 1 December 2011.  
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.  
Done at Brussels, 27 October 2011.  
For the Commission  
The President  
José Manuel BARROSOEN 28.10.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 281/9ANNEX  
Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 is amended as follows:  
(1) in Chapter 1, the following Row 1.28 and the corresponding footnotes 20 and 21 are added: 
‘1.28 Fresh poultry meat (  20 ) Salmonella typhimurium  ( 21 ) 
Salmonella enteritidis  5 0  Absence 
in 25 g  EN/ISO 6579 (for detection) 
White-Kaufmann-Le Minor 
scheme (for serotyping)  Products placed on the market 
during their shelf-life  
( 20 ) This criterion shall apply to fresh meat from breeding flocks of  Gallus gallus , laying hens, broilers and breeding and fattening flocks of turkeys. 
( 21 ) As regards monophasic  Salmonella typhimurium  only 1,4,[5],12:i:- is included.’  
(2) in Chapter 2, Row 2.1.5 is replaced by the following and the corresponding footnote 10 is added: 
‘2.1.5 Poultry carcases 
of broilers and 
turkeys  Salmonella  
spp. (  10 ) 50 (  5 ) 7 (  6 ) 
From 1.1.2012 
c = 5 for broilers 
From 1.1.2013 
c = 5 for turkeys  Absence in 
25 g of a 
pooled 
sample of 
neck skin  EN/ISO 6579 
(for detection)  Carcases 
after chilling  Improvement in slaughter hygiene 
and review of process controls, 
origin of animals and biosecurity 
measures in the farms of origin  
( 10 ) Where  Salmonella  spp. is found, the isolates shall be further serotyped for  Salmonella typhimurium  and  Salmonella enteritidis  in order to verify compliance with the 
microbiological criterion set out in Row 1.28 of Chapter 1.’  
(3) in Chapter 3, Section 3.2 is replaced by the following:  
‘3.2.  Bacteriological sampling in slaughterhouses and at premises producing minced meat, meat preparations, mechanically 
separated meat and fresh meat  
S a m p l i n g r u l e s f o r c a r c a s e s o f c a t t l e , p i g s , s h e e p , g o a t s a n d h o r s e s  
The destructive and non-destructive sampling methods, the selection of the sampling sites and the rules for storage 
and transport of samples to be used are set out in standard ISO 17604.  
Five carcases shall be sampled at random during each sampling session. Sample sites must be selected taking into 
account the slaughter technology used in each plant.  
When sampling for analyses of Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic colony counts, four sites of each carcase shall be 
sampled. Four tissue samples representing a total of 20 cm  2 shall be obtained by the destructive method. When using 
the non-destructive method for this purpose, the sampling area shall cover a minimum of 100 cm  2 (50 cm  2 for small 
ruminant carcases) per sampling site.  
When sampling for salmonella analyses, an abrasive sponge sampling method shall be used. Areas most likely to be 
contaminated shall be selected. The total sampling area shall cover a minimum of 400 cm  2 . 
When samples are taken from the different sampling sites on the carcase, they shall be pooled before examination.  
S a m p l i n g r u l e s f o r p o u l t r y c a r c a s e s a n d f r e s h p o u l t r y m e a t  
Slaughterhouses shall sample whole poultry carcases with neck skin for salmonella analyses. Other establishments 
processing fresh poultry meat shall take samples for salmonella analysis giving priority to whole poultry carcases with 
neck skin, if available, but ensuring that also chicken portions with skin and/or chicken portions without skin or with 
only a small amount of skin are covered, and that choice shall be risk-based.  
Slaughterhouses shall include in their sampling plans poultry carcases from flocks with an unknown salmonella status 
or with a status known to be positive for  Salmonella enteritidis  or Salmonella typhimurium .EN L 281/10 Official Journal of the European Union 28.10.2011When testing against the process hygiene criterion set out in Row 2.1.5 of Chapter 2 for salmonella in poultry 
carcases in slaughterhouses, neck skins from a minimum of 15 poultry carcases shall be sampled at random after 
chilling during each sampling session. A piece of approximately 10 g from neck skin shall be obtained from each 
poultry carcase. On each occasion the neck skin samples from three poultry carcases from the same flock of origin 
shall be pooled before examination in order to form 5 x 25 g final samples. These samples shall also be used to verify 
the compliance with the food safety criterion set out in Row 1.28 of Chapter 1.  
For the salmonella analyses for fresh poultry meat other than poultry carcases, five samples of at least 25 g of the 
same batch shall be collected. The sample taken from chicken portions with skin shall contain skin and a thin surface 
muscle slice in case the amount of skin is not sufficient to form a sample unit. The sample taken from chicken 
portions without skin or with only a small amount of skin shall contain a thin surface muscle slice or slices added to 
any skin present to make a sufficient sample unit. The slices of meat shall be taken in a way that includes as much as 
possible of the surface of the meat.  
G u i d e l i n e s f o r s a m p l i n g  
More detailed guidelines on the sampling of carcases, in particular concerning the sampling sites, may be included in 
the guides to good practice referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.  
S a m p l i n g f r e q u e n c i e s f o r c a r c a s e s , m i n c e d m e a t , m e a t p r e p a r a t i o n s , m e c h a  n i c a l l y 
s e p a r a t e d m e a t a n d f r e s h p o u l t r y m e a t  
The food business operators of slaughterhouses or establishments producing minced meat, meat preparations, mech ­
anically separated meat or fresh poultry meat shall take samples for microbiological analysis at least once a week. The 
day of sampling shall be changed each week to ensure that each day of the week is covered.  
As regards the sampling of minced meat and meat preparations for  E. coli  and aerobic colony count analyses and the 
sampling of carcases for Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic colony count analyses, the frequency may be reduced to 
fortnightly testing if satisfactory results are obtained for six consecutive weeks.  
In the case of sampling for salmonella analyses of minced meat, meat preparations, carcases and fresh poultry meat, 
the frequency may be reduced to fortnightly if satisfactory results have been obtained for 30 consecutive weeks. The 
salmonella sampling frequency may also be reduced if there is a national or regional salmonella control programme 
in place and if this programme includes testing that replaces the sampling laid down in this paragraph. The sampling 
frequency may be further reduced if the national or regional salmonella control programme demonstrates that the 
salmonella prevalence is low in animals purchased by the slaughterhouse.  
However, when justified on the basis of a risk analysis and consequently authorised by the competent authority, small 
slaughterhouses and establishments producing minced meat, meat preparations and fresh poultry meat in small 
quantities may be exempted from these sampling frequencies.’EN 28.10.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 281/11