COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 829/2007
of 28 June 2007
amending Annexes I, II, VII, VIII, X and XI to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the placing on the market of certain animal by-products
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 October 2002 laying down health rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption (1) and in particular the second paragraph of Article 28, the first subparagraph of Article 29(3) and Article 32(1),
Whereas:
(1)
Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 lays down animal and public health requirements for the importation into and transit through the Community of certain animal by-products and products derived there from. That Regulation provides for general hygiene requirements for the processing of Category 1, 2 and 3 materials and also sets out requirements for the placing on the market of those animal by-products and products derived therefrom including model health certificates for their importation into the Community.
(2)
Due to the threat of introduction of the small hive beetle into the Community, which is currently free of that parasite, it is necessary to lay down requirements for the importation of beeswax, intended for technical purposes, and also to amend the definition of apiculture products in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002. Therefore, the relevant definition in Annex I to that Regulation, the import requirements laid down in Chapter IX of Annex VIII and the model health certificate set out in Chapter 13 of Annex X to that Regulation should be amended accordingly.
(3)
Chapter X of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 lays down a model commercial document to accompany animal by-products and processed products during transportation. In order to improve the traceability of hides and skins during transportation, it is necessary to amend that model document. Annex II to that Regulation should therefore be amended accordingly.
(4)
Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (2) applies to the production and placing on the market of live animals and products of animal origin. It prohibits the feeding of processed animal protein to farmed animals which are kept, fattened or bred for the production of food.
(5)
While that prohibition in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 remains in force, less stringent processing requirements as laid down in Chapter II of Annex VII to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 than the current processing Method 1 should apply to processed animal protein derived from porcine blood, as there is no scientific indication of a risk of transmitting TSEs from pigs. It is necessary however for public and animal health reasons to introduce a minimum temperature requirement for the processing of porcine blood. Chapter II of Annex VII to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(6)
Chapter II A(1) of Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 permits the use of parts of slaughtered animals which are fit for human consumption but are not intended for human consumption for commercial reasons in the manufacture of raw petfood within the Community. It appears that parts of such animals which are rejected as unfit for human consumption but which are not affected by any signs of disease communicable to humans or animals may also be safely used in petfood. Chapter II A (1) and Chapter XI of Annex VIII to that Regulation, the latter providing for the respective provisions for the importation into the Community, should therefore be amended accordingly.
(7)
It is necessary to amend the existing model health certificates for the importation of hides and skins into the Community, in order to introduce some technical amendments. In the interest of clarity, the specific requirements for those products set out in Chapter VI of Annex VIII, and the model health certificates set out in Chapters 5(A), 5(B) and 5(C) of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(8)
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its Scientific Opinion on Animal health and welfare aspects of avian influenza, adopted on 13 and 14 September 2005, concluded that feathers should be treated before trade, in order to reduce the risk of the spread of avian influenza. Chapter VIII of Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 lays down the permanent Community measures concerning the placing of the market and importation of feathers. In the light of that opinion and the current worldwide epidemiological situation regarding avian influenza, it is appropriate to amend the relevant Community measures for the importation and treatment of feathers prior to importation. Annex VIII to that Regulation should therefore be amended accordingly.
(9)
The relevant health certificate set out in Chapter 1 of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 for imports into the Community of processed animal protein, not intended for human consumption, and products other than petfood containing such protein should be amended accordingly in order to provide for equivalent processing possibilities for third countries as for the Community. Chapter I of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(10)
Chapter 3(B) of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 sets out the model health certificate for the importation into the Community of processed pet food, other than canned pet food. It appears that processed pet food is increasingly produced in third countries by mixing already processed ingredients which have individually been treated in compliance with the requirements of that Regulation. Heat treatment of such ingredients could have adverse effects on their nutritional qualities. Therefore, the importation into the Community of processed petfood consisting of such safe ingredients should be allowed and the model health certificate set out in Chapter 3(B) of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 should be amended accordingly.
(11)
Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 provides that certain animal by-products for the manufacture of petfood may be imported into the Community although they contain material which has been derived from animals treated with certain prohibited substances. However, the importation into the Community of processed petfood, dogchews and flavouring innards containing such material is currently not allowed. Since it appears that the health risk is not higher when importing such material for the production of petfood within the Community than in case such material is an ingredient of imported processed pet food, dogchews and flavouring innards, the importation into the Community of these processed products containing such material should also be allowed. Therefore, the model health certificates set out in Chapters 3(A), 3(B), 3(C) and 3(E) of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 should be amended accordingly.
(12)
Chapter 3(B) of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 provides that the health certificate for processed pet food, other than canned petfood, must contain a certificate stating that the pet food was packed in new packaging, which bears labels indicating ‘not intended for human consumption’. Council Directive 79/373/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the marketing of compound feedingstuffs (3) already provides for equivalent marking requirements which prevent unintentional or negligent misuse of such products for human consumption. The requirements for the model health certificate in Chapter 3(B) of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 should take account of that legislation and should, therefore, be amended accordingly.
(13)
Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 lays down requirements for the placing on the market and importation into the Community of pet food, dogchews and technical products. Chapter II B(4) of that Annex provides that dogchews must have undergone a heat treatment during processing sufficient to destroy pathogenic organisms. Several Member States have requested to allow other treatments, during processing of dogchews, which provide equivalent safety guarantees. Therefore, Chapter II B(4) of Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 should be amended accordingly.
(14)
Chapter 3(C) of Annex X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 sets out the model health certificate for the importation into the Community of dogchews. Since other treatments than heat treatment shall be allowed for the processing of dogchews within the Community, those other treatments should also be allowed for imported dogchews. Some dogchews are produced according to traditional methods from fish. Animal health considerations do not require a heat treatment in such case. Therefore, the model health certificate in Chapter 3(C) of Annex X to that Regulation should be amended accordingly.
(15)
Chapter II B(6) of Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 lays down microbiological standards applicable to raw petfood produced in the Community. Those standards should also be imposed on imports into the Community of raw petfood for direct sale and on animal by-products to be fed to farmed fur animals intended for dispatch to the Community. Chapter 3(D) of Annex X of that Regulation should therefore be amended accordingly.
(16)
Annex XI to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 sets out lists of third countries from which Member States may authorise imports of animal by-products not intended for human consumption. Part XIII of that Annex provides for a list of third countries from which Member States may authorise the imports of serum of equidae. According to that part XIII, this list includes third countries referred to in Annex I to Commission Decision 2004/211/EC of 6 January 2004 establishing the list of third countries and parts of territory thereof from which Member States authorise imports of live equidae and semen, ova and embryos of the equine species, and amending Decisions 93/195/EECand 94/63/EC (4), from which the importation of equidae for slaughter is allowed.
(17)
Serum of equidae may, however, be sourced from living animals. Therefore, the animal health status allowing for the inclusion of a third country in that list of third countries from which the importation of equidae for breeding and production is allowed should be sufficient to determine whether serum of equidae may be imported from this third country. That would, in particular, allow for the importation of serum of equidae from Mexico. Part XIII of Annex XI to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(18)
Veterinary certificates shall be provided for in the format laid down in Commission Decision 2007/240/EC (5) regarding the adoption of harmonized templates for veterinary certificates related to the import into the European Community of live animals and products of animal origin. The commercial document laid down in Annex II, Chapter X to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 and the model health certificates laid down in Annex X to that Regulation should be amended accordingly.
(19)
A transitional period should be provided for after the date of entry into force of this Regulation, in order to allow for the continued importation into the Community of the animal by-products and products derived there from covered by Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 and accompanied by health certificates in compliance with that Regulation
(20)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Annexes I, II, VII, VIII, X and XI to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2
For a transitional period of six months from the date of entry into force of this Regulation, the commercial document set out in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 and the model health certificates set out in Annex X to that Regulation, which where completed in conformity with the provisions applicable before the date of entry into force of the present Regulation, may continue to accompany the products covered by such documents or certificates.
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force and apply on the third day following 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.
Done at Brussels, 28 June 2007.