COMMISSION DECISION
of 29 September 2006
concerning a financial contribution from the Community towards a baseline survey on the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs to be carried out in the Member States
(notified under document number C(2006) 4306)
(2006/668/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Decision 90/424/EEC of 26 June 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field (1), and in particular Article 20 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Pursuant to Decision 90/424/EEC the Community is to undertake or assist the Member States in undertaking the technical and scientific measures necessary for the development of veterinary legislation and for the development of veterinary education or training.
(2)
Under Article 4 of 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 (2), a Community target is to be established for reducing the prevalence of Salmonella in populations of herds of slaughter pigs by the end of 2007.
(3)
The Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted an opinion on the request from the Commission related to ‘Risk assessment and mitigation options of Salmonella in pig production’, during its meeting of 16 March 2006. The opinion proposes technical specifications for a baseline study on the prevalence of Salmonella in fattening pigs in the EU.
(4)
In order to set the Community target, comparable data on the prevalence of Salmonella in populations of slaughter pigs in the Member States needs to be available. Such information is not at hand and a special survey should therefore be carried out to monitor the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs over a suitable period in order to take account of possible seasonal variations.
(5)
The EFSA opinion recommends slaughterhouse sampling by taking ileocaecal lymph nodes to reflect the Salmonella status of the pig sent to slaughter. Such sampling should therefore be used as a tool to monitor the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs. It is opportune to use this baseline survey also to evaluate the effect of contamination of the pigs during transport and lairage, and contamination of the carcase during the slaughter process by taking carcase swabs. In addition, serological methods have been developed to assess the Salmonella status of a pig and may be used for monitoring Salmonella in pigs within the frame of national control programmes to be implemented in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003.
(6)
A number of Member States volunteered to carry out the additional analyses by taking carcase swabs or carrying out serology on meat juice.
(7)
The survey is to provide technical information necessary for the development of Community veterinary legislation. Given the importance of collecting comparable data on the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs in the Member States, they should be granted a Community financial contribution for implementing the specific requirements of the survey. It is appropriate to reimburse 100 % of the costs incurred on the laboratory testing, subject to a ceiling. All other costs such as sampling, travel, administration, etc should not be eligible for any Community financial contribution.
(8)
A financial contribution from the Community should be granted provided that the survey is carried out in accordance with the relevant provisions of Community law and subject to compliance with certain other conditions.
(9)
A financial contribution from the Community should be granted in so far as the actions provided for are effectively carried out and provided that the authorities furnish all the necessary information within the time limits provided for.
(10)
There is a need to clarify the rate to be used for the conversion of payment applications submitted in national currencies as defined in Article 1(d) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2799/98 of 15 December 1998 establishing agrimonetary arrangements for the euro (3).
(11)
The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
Objective of the survey and general provisions
1. A survey shall be carried out to assess the prevalence of Salmonella spp. across the Community in slaughter pigs sampled in the slaughter house. The survey shall also be used to collect at the same time information on contamination of carcases in slaughterhouses and on the relation between bacteriological and serological tests.
2. The results of the survey shall be used to set Community targets as provided for in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 and to consider the best approach to evaluate in the future the achievement of the target.
3. The survey shall cover a one-year period commencing on 1 October 2006.
4. For the purposes of this Decision, ‘competent authority’ shall be the authority or authorities of a Member State as designated under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003.
Article 2
Technical specifications
The survey in slaughter pigs shall be organised by the Member States and shall be performed from 1 October 2006 in slaughterhouses. Sampling and analysis shall be performed by the competent authority or under its supervision.
Sampling and analysis shall be performed in accordance with the provisions in Annex I.
Article 3
Collection of data, assessment and reporting
1. The competent authority responsible for preparing the yearly national report pursuant to Article 9(1) of Directive 2003/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) shall collect and assess the results achieved pursuant to Article 2 of this Decision and shall report all necessary data and its assessment to the Commission.
2. The Commission shall forward the results to the European Food Safety authority, which shall examine them.
3. National aggregated data and results shall be made available publicly in a form that ensures confidentiality.
Article 4
Scope of the Community financial contribution
1. The Community shall provide financial contribution for the costs incurred by the Member States on laboratory testing, i.e. bacteriological detection of Salmonella spp., serotyping of the relevant isolates and serology.
2. The maximum financial contribution from the Community shall be EUR 20 per test for bacteriological detection of Salmonella spp., EUR 30 for serotyping of the relevant isolates and EUR 10 for serology on meat juice.
3. The financial contribution from the Community shall not exceed the amounts set out in Annex II for the duration of the survey.
Article 5
Conditions for granting a Community financial contribution
1. The financial contribution provided for in Article 4 shall be granted to the Member States provided that the survey is implemented in accordance with the relevant provisions of Community law, including the rules on competition and on the award of public contracts, and subject to compliance with the following conditions:
(a)
by 1 October 2006, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions required to implement the survey shall come into force;
(b)
a progress report covering the first three months of the survey shall be forwarded by 28 February 2007. The progress report should contain all information requested in Annex III of the Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards on the request from the Commission related to ‘Risk assessment and mitigation options of Salmonella in pig production’.
(c)
a final report shall be forwarded by 31 October 2007 at the latest on the technical execution of the survey, together with supporting evidence for the costs incurred and the results attained during the period 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007; the evidence as to costs incurred shall comprise at least the information set out in Annex III;
(d)
the survey shall be implemented effectively.
2. An advance of 50 % of the total amount referred to in Annex II may be paid at the request of the Member State concerned.
3. Failure to comply with the time limit in paragraph 1(c) shall entail a progressive reduction of the financial contribution to be paid, amounting to 25 % of the total amount by 15 November 2007, 50 % by 1 December 2007 and 100 % by 15 December 2007.
Article 6
Conversion rate for applications in national currencies
The conversion rate for applications submitted in national currencies in month ‘n’ shall be that for the 10th day of month ‘n+1’ or the first day before that day for which a rate is quoted.
Article 7
Application
This Decision shall apply from 1 October 2006.
Article 8
Addressees
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 29 September 2006.