COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 1109/2011
of 3 November 2011
amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2075/2005 as regards the equivalent methods for Trichinella testing
(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 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption (1), and in particular the former part of the introductory phrase of Article 18 and points 8, 9 and 10 of that Article,
Whereas:
(1)
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2075/2005 of 5 December 2005 laying down specific rules on official controls for Trichinella in meat (2) provides for methods of detection of Trichinella in samples of carcases. The reference method is laid down in Chapter I of Annex I to that Regulation. Three methods of detection equivalent to the reference method are laid down in Chapter II of Annex I to that Regulation.
(2)
Regulation (EC) No 2075/2005, as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1245/2007 (3), permits the use of liquid pepsin for the detection of Trichinella in meat and establishes its requirements when used as a reagent in methods of detection. It is therefore appropriate to also provide for identical requirements for the equivalent detection methods, where relevant. Part C of Chapter II of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2075/2005 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(3)
In addition, new apparatuses for Trichinella testing using the digestion method equivalent to the reference method started being produced by private companies. Following these developments, guidelines for the validation of new apparatuses for testing of Trichinella by the digestion method were endorsed unanimously during the meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 16 December 2008.
(4)
In 2010 a new apparatus method for testing of Trichinella in domestic swine was validated by the EU Reference Laboratory for parasites in accordance with those guidelines.
(5)
Results of the validation show that the new apparatus and related method of detection of Trichinella, validated under the code of the EU Reference Laboratory, No EURLP_D_001/2011 (4), is equivalent to the reference method as laid down in Chapter I of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2075/2005. Therefore, it should be included in the list of equivalent methods of detection listed in Chapter II of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2075/2005.
(6)
Chapter II of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2075/2005 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(7)
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
Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2075/2005 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th 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, 3 November 2011.