1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of21December 1976
onhealthproblemsaffectingintra-Communitytradeinmeatproducts
(77/99/EEC)
(OJ L 26, 31.1.1977, p. 85)
Corrected by:
►C1Corrigendum, OJ L 68, 15.3.1977, p. 35 (77/99/EEC)
►C2Corrigendum, OJ L 76, 24.3.1977, p. 26 (77/99/EEC)
▼B
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of21December 1976
on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in meat
products
(77/99/EEC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community, and in particular Articles 43 and 100 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(
1),
Whereas, since the establishment of the common organization of the
markets, meat products may move freely within the Community;
whereas, however, intra-Community trade in these products is curbed
by the existence of different health requirements in this sector in thevarious Member States; whereas, in order to remove such disparities,it is necessary to substitute common provisions for these nationalrequirements;
Whereas, in order to guarantee the quality of the products in question
from the health point of view, it is necessary to use, in their manufac-
ture, only that fresh meat obtained in accordance with the Communitystandards laid down in Council Directive 64/433/EEC of 26 June 1964on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in fresh meat(
2),
as last amended by Directive 75/379/EEC(3), Council Directive 71/
118/EEC of 15 February 1971 on health problems affecting trade in
fresh poultrymeat(4), as last amended by Directive 75/379/EEC, and
also Council Directive 72/462/EEC of 12 December 1972 on healthand veterinary inspection problems upon importation of bovine animalsand swine and fresh meat from third countries(
5), as last amended by
Directive 75/379/EEC; whereas meat products must be manufactured,
stored and trasnported in conditions offering every guarantee as regards
health; whereas the need for manufacturing and processing establish-ments to obtain approval is likely to facilitate supervision ofcompliance with these conditions; whereas provision should be madefor a procedure intended to settle any disputes which may arisebetween Member States as to the justification of the approval of a
manufacturing establishment;
Whereas, moreover, Community control arrangements should be intro-
duced to ensure that the standards laid down in this Directive areapplied uniformly in all Member States; whereas provision should bemade for the procedure for such controls to be determined accordingto a Community procedure within the Standing Veterinary Committee
set upby the Council Decision of 15 October 1968(
6);
Whereas provision should be made for the possibility of derogating
from certain provisions of this Directive in respect of certain meatproducts which contain other foodstuffs and which contain a minimalpercentage of meat; whereas these derogations should be madeaccording to a Community procedure within the Standing VeterinaryCommittee;
Whereas, as regards intra-Community trade, the issue of a health certi-
ficate drafted by the competent authority is considered to be the best
way of assuring the competent authorities of the country of destinationthat a consignment of meat products complies with this Directive;1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 2
(1) OJ No C 114, 11. 11. 1971, p. 40.
(2) OJ No 121, 29. 7. 1964, p. 2012/64.
(3) OJ No L 172, 3. 7. 1975, p. 17.
(4) OJ No L 55, 8. 3. 1971, p. 23.
(5) OJ No L 302, 31. 12. 1972, p. 28.
(6) OJ No L 255, 18. 10. 1968, p. 23.
▼B
whereas this certificate must accompany the consignment of these
products to the place of destination;
Whereas Member States must have the right to prohibit the introduc-
tion into their territory of meat products from another Member Statewhich prove unfit for human consumption or do not comply withCommunity health provisions;
Whereas, in such cases, the consignor should, at his own request or
upon request of his representative, be allowed to have the meatproducts returned to him unless there are health reasons to the contrary;
Whereas, in case of prohibition or restriction, the reasons therefor
should be made known to the consignor or his representative and also,in certain cases, to the competent authorities of the exporting country;
Whereas, in the event of a dispute between himself and the authorities
of the Member State of destination as to the justification for prohibition
or restriction, the consignor should be enabled to obtain the opinion ofan expert;
Whereas, in order to facilitate the implementation of the proposed
measures, a procedure should be provided for close cooperation betwen
the Member States and the Commission in the Standing VeterinaryCommittee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
This Directive lays down health requirements for meat products
intended for intra-Community trade.
Article 2
1. For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall
apply:
(a) meat products: products prepared wholly or partly from meat
which has undergone treatment to ensure a certain degree ofpreservation.
However, meat which has only undergone chilling or freezing
shall not be regarded as a meat product.
The following are not covered by this Directive:
(i) meat extracts, meat consommé and stock, meat sauces and
similar products not containing fragments of meat;
(ii) whole, broken or crushed bones, meat peptones, animal
gelatin, meat powder, pork-rind powder, blood plasma, dried
blood, dried blood plasma, cellular proteins, bone extractsand similar products;
(iii) fats melted down from animal tissues;
(iv) stomachs, bladders and intestines, cleaned and bleached,
salted or dried;
(b) meat: meat as defined in:
— Article 1 of Directive 64/433/EEC,
— Article 1 of Directive 71/118/EEC,
— Article 2 of Directive 72/462/EEC;
(c) fresh meat: fresh meat as defined in Article 1 of Directives 64/433/
EEC and 71/118/EEC and Article 2 of Directive 72/462/EEC;
(d) treatment: the treatment of fresh meat, whether or not combined
with other foodstuffs, by heating, salting or drying, or a combina-tion or these processes;
(e) complete treatment: treatment the effects of which are sufficient to
guarantee the subsequent wholesomeness of the product at normalambient temperature;1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 3
▼B
(f) incomplete treatment: treatment which does not meet the require-
ments laid down for complete treatment in Annex A, Chapter V(27);
(g) heating: use of dry or dampheat;(h) salting: use of salt (NaCl);
(i) drying: natural or artificial reduction of the water content;
(j) exporting country: the Member State from which meat products
are sent to another Member State;
(k) country of destination: the Member State to which meat products
are sent from another Member State;
(l) consignment: a quantity of a meat product which is covered by the
same health certificate;
(m) wrapping: the protection of meat products by the use of an initial
wrapping or initial container in direct contact with the product
concerned as well as the initial wrapper or initial container itself;
(n) packaging: the placing of a wrapped or unwrapped meat product
or products in a second container, as well as the container itself.
2. Pending the adoption, following submission of a proposal in
accordance with Article 9 (2), of provisions regarding meat which istreated by a process other than heating, salting or drying or which hasundergone treatment which does not meet the requirements of AnnexA, Chapter V (26), such meat shall be subject to the Directives referred
to in paragraph 1 (b).
Article 3
1. Each Member State shall ensure that only meat products
complying with the following general conditions are sent from its terri-tory to the territory of another Member State:
(1) they must have been prepared in an establishment approved and
inspected in accordance with Article 6;
(2) they must have been prepared, stored and transported in accor-
dance with Annex A;
(3) they must have been prepared from:
(a) fresh meat as defined in Article 2 (1) (c). This fresh meat may
originate:
(i)►
C2in accordance with Directives 64/433/EEC and 71/
118/EEC, in the Member State in which the ◄prepara-
tion is carried out or in any other Member State,
(ii) in accordance with Directive 72/462/EEC, in a third
country, being imported either directly or by another
Member State,
(iii) in accordance with Article 15 of Directive 71/118/EEC,
in a third country, in so far as:
— products obtained from this meat fulfil the require-
ments of this Directive,
— the health marking laid down in Annex A, Chapter
VII, is not carried out on these products,
— intra-Community trade in these products remains
subject to the national provisions of each MemberState;
(b) a meat product, provided that it meets the requirements of this
Directive;
(4) they must have been prepared by heating, salting or drying, which
processes may be combined with smoking or maturing, possiblyunder specific microclimatic conditions, and associated, in parti-cular, with certain curing agents within the meaning of Article12. They may also be associated with other foodstuffs and condi-ments;1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 4
▼B
(5) they must have been prepared from fresh meat handled in accor-
dance with Annex A, Chapter III;
(6) they must, in accordance with Annex A, Chapter IV, have under-
gone an inspection carried out by the competent authority; suchinspections may be carried out, in purely routine tasks and inaccordance with rules to be defined where necessary under theprocedure provided for in Article 18, with the help of aissistants
specially trained for the purpose;
(7) they must meet the standards laid down in Annex A, Chapter V;(8) they must have been wrapped and packaged in accordance with
Annex A, Chapter VI, where wrapping and packaging are neces-
sary;
(9) they must bear a health marking in accordance with Annex A,
Chapter VII;
(10) they must, in accordance with Annex A, Chapter VIII, be accom-
panied by a health certificate during transport to the country of
destination;
(11) they must be stored and transported to the country of destination
under satisfactory health conditions in accordance with Annex A,Chapter IX.
2. Meat products may not have been subjected to ionizing radiation,
unless this is justified on medical grounds and unless such procedure is
clearly indicated on the product and on the health certificate.
Article 4
1. Meat products which have undergone complete treatment in
accordance with Annex A, Chapter V (27), may be stored and trans-
ported at normal ambient temperatures.
Products which have been subjected to natural fermentation and
maturing for a long period shall be regarded as having undergonecomplete treatment until the Council, acting, unanimously on aproposal by the Commission, shall have amended the limits given inAnnex A, Chapter V (27) (b).
2. For inspection purposes, the producer must ensure that the packa-
ging of meat products which have undergone incomplete treatment
bears a clear and legible indication of the temperature at which the
products must be transported and stored and the period during whichpreservation may thus be assured.
3. If necessary, in accordance with the procedure laid down in
Article 18, a derogation may be made from paragraph 2 in respect ofcertain meat products which do not comply with the standards laiddown in Annex A, Chapter V (27), subject to certain conditions which
shall be verified by the competent authority.
Article 5
Articles 3 and 4 shall not apply to meat products which are imported
with the authorization of the country of destination for uses other than
human consumption; in this case, the country of destination shall
ensure that these products are used only for the purposes for whichthey were dispatched to that country.
Article 6
1. Each Member State shall draw upa list of the establishments
approved by it and having a veterinary approval number. It shall sendthis list to the other Member States and to the Commission.
The Commission shall draw up a list of these approved establishments
and shall have it published in the Official Journal of the European
Communities .
Without prejudice to Article 8, a Member State shall not approve an
establishment unless compliance with this Directive is assured.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 5
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The Member State shall withdraw approval if the conditions for
approval are no longer fulfilled.
If a check has been made in accordance with Article 7, the Member
State concerned shall take account of the conclusions resulting there-
from.
The other Member States and the Commission shall be informed of the
withdrawal of approval.
2. Inspection and supervision of approved establishments shall be
carried out under the responsibility of the competent authority which
may be assisted in purely technical tasks by personnel specially trained
for the purpose.
The detailed rules governing this assistance shall be determined in
accordance with the procedure provided for in Article 18.
3. If a Member State considers that the conditions for approval are
not or are no longer complied with by an establishment in another
Member State, it shall so inform the Commission and the competent
central authority of the latter Member State.
4. In the case referred to in paragraph 3, the Commission shall forth-
with initiate the procedure laid down in Article 7.
If justified by the conclusions of the inspection report, the Member
States may be authorized, in accordance with the procedure laid downin Article 19, to refuse entry to their territory of meat products from
the establishment in question.
This authorization may be withdrawn in accordance with the same
procedure laid down in Article 19, if such action is justified by thefindings of a further expert inspection carried out in accordance withArticle 7.
Article 7
Experts of the Member States and of the Commission shall carry out
regular inspections of the approved establishments to ensure that the
latter in fact apply this Directive, and in particular Annex A, ChaptersI and II.
They shall provide the Commission with a report on the results of the
inspections carried out.
The Member State in whose territory an inspection is carried out shall
give the experts all the necessary help in performing their task.
The experts of the Member States who carry out the inspections shall
be designated by the Commission acting upon a proposal from theMember States. They must be nationals of a Member State other thanthat in which the inspection is carried out and, in the case provided forin Article 6 (3) and (4), other than that of the Member States involved
in the dispute.
Inspections shall be carried out on behalf of the Community, which
shall bear the cost involved.
The frequency and the detailed rules for these inspections shall be
determined in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 18.
Article 8
1. By way of derogation from the conditions stipulated in Article 3,
it may be decided, in accordance with the procedure laid down in
Article 18, that some provisions of this Directive shall not apply to
certain products which contain other foodstuffs and only a smallpercentage of meat or meat product.
These exceptions shall relate only to:(a) the conditions for approval of establishments as laid down in
Annex A, Chapter I;1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 6
▼B
(b) the inspection requirements described in Annex A, Chapters IV and
V;
(c) the requirements for a health marking and health certificate as laid
down in paragraphs 9 and 10 of Article 3 (1).
When considering whether to allow exception such as those provided
for under this Article, both the nature and the composition of theproduct shall be taken into account.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article, the Member States shall
ensure that all meat products intended for intra-Community trade arewholesome products prepared from fresh meat or meat products within
the meaning of this Directive.
2. The first subparagraph of paragraph 1 shall be implemented for
the first time before the date of implementation of this Directive.
Article 9
1. The Council, acting on a proposal from the Commission, shall
determine for the first time, before the implementation of this Direc-
tive, the provision applying to fresh meat which has been minced,
ground or similarly broken down into small pieces, with the additionof other foodstuffs and condiments.
Pending the entry into force of the provisions thus adopted, this meat
shall remain subject to national laws.
2. The Commission shall submit to the Council, before the date of
implementation of this Directive, a proposal dealing with the case ofproducts not having undergone treatment and thus not fulfilling the
requirements laid down Annex A, Chapter V (26).
Article 10
The methods required in order to check compliance with the standards
laid down in Annex A, Chapter V (26) and (27) and the tolerances to
be permitted for these standards, shall be established six months before
the date of implementation of this Directive in accordance with theprocedure laid down in Article 18.
These methods, standards and tolerances may, if necessary, be altered
or updated using the same procedure.
Article 11
1. Without prejudice to the powers resulting from Articles 6 and 7, a
Member State on whose territory it has been established in the courseof a health inspection that:
(a) the meat products imported from another Member State are unfit
for human consumption, shall prohibit the marketing of suchproducts within its territory;
(b) Article 3 has not been complied with, may impose such a prohibi-
tion.
2. Decisions taken pursuant to paragraph 1 must, at the request of
the consignor or his representative, authorize the reconsignment of themeat products, in so far as there are no objections thereto on healthgrounds. In any event, precautions shall be taken to prevent improperuse of these products.
If reconsignment is not possible the products must be destroyed on the
territory of the Member State in which the inspection is carried out.
By way of derogation from this provision and at the request of the
consignee or his representative, the Member State carrying out the
animal health and public health inspections may authorize their entryfor use other than for human consumption, to the extent that there isno danger for humans or for animals. These meat products may notleave the territory of that Member State, which must check their destin-taion.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 7
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These decisions must be communicated to the consignor or his repre-
sentative together with the reasons for such decisions. These reasoneddecisions must, on request, be communicated forthwith in writing, with
an indication of the channels of appeal provided for under the current
legislation and of their forms and the time limits within which they areopen.
3. Where such decisions are based on the establishment of the
presence of a contagious disease, deterioration dangerous to human
health or a serious infringement of this Directive, they shall also becommunicated forthwith, together with the reasons for these decisions,to the competent central authority of the exporting country and to theCommission.
Article 12
Without prejudice to current Community rules on additives authorized
for use in foodstuffs, the use of additives in meat products and thedetailed rules governing such use shall continue to be subject tonational laws until the entry into force of Community provisions onthe matter.
Article 13
The Council, acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission,
shall, before 31 December 1978, determine the temperatures to beobserved during cutting and initial wrapping as provided for in Annex
A, Chapter II (9), and without prejudice to the provisions laid down in
Annex A, Chapter III (20).
Article 14
1. The Council, acting on a proposal from the Commission, shall
take a unanimous decision on Community rules relating to the methods
of detecting trichinae and also to the cases where such detection is
unnecessary.
2. Pending the entry into force of such rules, the Member States'
legislation on the detection of trichinae in meat products containingpigmeat shall remain applicable.
3. Pigmeat recognized as trichinous must not be used in the manu-
facture of meat products intended for intra-Community trade.
Article 15
1. This Directive shall not affect the channels of appeal open under
the current legislation in Member States against the decisions of the
competent authorities provided for in this Directive.
2. Each Member State shall grant consignors of meat products, the
movement of which is prohibited pursuant to Article 11 (1), the rightto obtain the opinion of an expert. Each Member State shall ensure
that, before the competent authorities take any other measures such as
destroying the meat, the experts have an opportunity of determiningwhether the conditions of Article 11 (1) have been fulfilled.
The expert must be a national of a Member State other than the
exporting country or country of destination.
Acting on a proposal from the Member States, the Commission shall
draw up a panel list of the experts who may be instructed to formulatesuch opinions. After consulting the Member States, it shall lay downgeneral rules which are to be applied, in particular as regards the
procedure for formulating these opinions.
Article 16
Until the entry into force of Community provisions on problems of
animal health affecting intra-Community trade in meat products,national rules shall continue to apply in this field.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 8
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Article 17
Pending the implementation of Community provisions concerning
imports of meat products from third countries, Member States shallapply to such imports provisions which are at least equivalent to thoseresulting from this Directive.
Article 18
1. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is to be used, the
matter shall be referred without delay to the Standing VeterinaryCommittee (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’), set upby theCouncil Decision of 15 October 1968, by the chairman, either on his
own initiative or at the request of a Member State.
2. Within the Committee, the votes of the Member States shall be
weighted as provided in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty. The chairmanshall not vote.
3. The Commission representative shall submit a draft of the
measures to be adopted. The Committee shall deliver its opinion onthe measures within a period to be determined by the chairman inkeeping with the urgency of the question submitted for examination.Opinions shall be delivered by a majority of 41 votes.
4. The Commission shall adopt the measures and shall implement
them immediately, where they are in accordance with the opinion ofthe Committee. Where they are not in accordance with the opinion ofthe Committee or if no opinion is delivered, the Commission shall
without delay submit to the Council a proposal on the measures to be
adopted. The Council shall adopt the measures by a qualified majority.
If the Council has not adopted any measures within three months from
the date on which the proposal was submitted to it, the Commission
shall adopt the proposed measures and apply them immediately save
where the Council has decided against them by a simple majority.
Article 19
1. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is to be used, the
matter shall be referred without delay to the Committee by the
chairman, either on his own initiative or at the request of a MemberState.
2. Within the Committee, the votes of the Member States shall be
weighted as provided in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty. The chairman
shall not vote.
3. The Commission representative shall submit a draft of the
measures to be adopted. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on
such measures within two days. Opinions shall be delivered by a
majority of 41 votes.
4. The Commission shall adopt the measures and shall apply them
immediately where they are in accordance with the opinion of the
Committee. Where they are not in accordance with the opinion of the
Committee or if no opinion is delivered, the Commission shall withoutdelay submit to the Council a proposal on the measures to be adopted.The Council shall adopt the measures by a qualified majority.
If the Council has not adopted any measures within 15 days from the
date on which the proposal was submitted to it, the Commission shalladopt the proposed measures and shall apply them immediately savewhere the Council has decided against them by a simple majority.
Article 20
Acting on a Commission proposal to be submitted before 1 July 1977,
the Council shall adopt before 31 December 1977 the provisions deter-mining who shall be empowered to carry out the supervision andinspections provided for in paragraph 6 of Article 3 (1) and of Articles4 (3) and 6 (2) and in Annex A, Chapters II, IV, V, VII and VIII.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 9
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Article 21
Articles 18 and 19 shall be applicable until 21 June 1981.
Article 22
The Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions necessary for them to comply with this Direc-tive on 1 July 1979.
However, in the case of those Member States not requiring annual
medical check-ups on the date of adoption of this Directive, pursuant
to existing veterinary laws, the medical check-upp rovided for inAnnex A, Chapter II (17), shall be obligatory only from 15 February1980, unless the Council, acting on a proposal by the Commission,decides before 31 December 1979 to postpone that date in the light ofthe report which the Commission will submit to it.
Article 23
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 10
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ANNEX A
CHAPTER I
CONDITIONS FOR THE APPROVAL OF ESTABLISHMENTS MANU-
FACTURINGMEATPRODUCTS
1. Establishments must, throughout the period for which the approval is valid,
comprise at least:
(a) suitable rooms large enough for the separate storage:
(i) under refrigeration:
— of fresh meat within the meaning of Article 2 (1) (c),
— of meat other than that referred to in Article 2 (1) (c);
(ii) at ambient temperature or, where appropriate, under refrigeration:
— of meat products fulfilling the requirements of the Directive,
— of other products prepared wholly or partly from meat;
(b) facilities enabling the veterinary inspection and supervision operations
prescribed by the Directive to be carried out efficiently at any time;
(c) in the vicinity of the work rooms, an adequately equipped lockable room
for the exclusive use of the competent authority;
(d) suitable rooms sufficiently large for the preparation of meat products;
(e) a lockable room for the storage of certain ingredients such as condi-
ments;
(f) an installation enabling an adequate supply, under pressure, of potable
water only; however, an installation supplying non-potable water shall
be authorized in exceptional cases for steam production, fire-fighting
and the cooling of refrigeration equipment, provided that the pipes
installed for this purpose preclude the use of this water for other
purposes.
Non-potable water pipes must be easily distinguishable from those used
for potable water and may not pass through rooms where fresh meat or
meat products are worked or stored.
However, for five years from the date of implementation of the Direc-
tive, exceptional authorization may be given for non-potable water
pipes to pass through rooms containing meat and meat products in estab-
lishments carrying on their activities before adoption of the Directive,
provided that there are no outlets on the sections of the pipes which
pass through the aforesaid rooms;
(g) an installation providing an adequate supply of hot potable water under
pressure;
(h) a waste water disposal system which meets hygiene requirements;(i) an adequate number of changing rooms, wash basins, showers and flush
lavatories. The latter shall not open directly on to the work rooms. The
wash basins must have hot and cold running water or water premixed to
a suitable temperature (from a premixing tap), materials for cleaning and
disinfecting the hands and disposable hand towels; the wash basins must
be near the lavatories and must not have hand-operated taps;
(j) facilities meeting hygiene requirements for:
— handling fresh meat and meat products,
— storing the containers used for these products in such a way that
neither the fresh meat or meat product nor the containers come into
direct contact with the ground;
(k) proper equipment for protection against pests such as insects and
rodents;
(l) a room for final packaging and for dispatch;(m) special air- and water-tight non-corrodible containers, with lids and
fasteners to prevent access by unauthorized persons, for fresh meat,
meat products or trimmings thereof not intended for human consump-
tion, or a lockable room for such meat, meat products or trimmings if
they are in sufficiently large quantities to necessitate this or if they are
not removed or destroyed at the end of each working day;
(n) a room for the storage of cleaning and maintenance tools and products;
(o) a room for cleaning both maintenance and cleaning equipment.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 11
▼B
2. Depending on the type of product involved the establishment must have:
(a) a cutting room;
(b) a room:
— for cooking; equipment for heat treatment must be fitted with a
recording thermometer or telethermometer,
— for retorting; the retorts must be fitted with a recording thermometer
or telethermometer, and a direct-reading control thermometer;
(c) a room for the rendering down of fats;(d) a room for smoking;
(e) a room for drying and maturing;
(f) a room for desalting, soaking or otherwise treating natural guts;(g) a curing room, if necessary with air-conditioning facilities enabling a
temperature not exceeding + 10 ºC to be maintained;
(h) a room, if necessary with air-conditioning facilities, for slicing or cutting
and for the wrapping of meat products intended for sale in pre-packed
form;
(i) a storeroom for empty cans and a device for conveying such cans hygie-
nically to the work room;
(j) an apparatus enabling cans to be thoroughly cleaned immediately before
filling;
(k) an apparatus for washing cans in potable water after they are hermeti-
cally sealed and before retorting;
(l) facilities for the incubation of samples of meat products in hermetically
sealed containers.
However, provided that the equipment used can have no deleterious effect on
the fresh meat and meat products, the same room may be used for the opera-
tions to be carried out in the separate rooms referred to in (b), (c), (d) and
(e).
3. The rooms referred to in 1 (a) and 2 (b) to (i) must have:
— waterproof flooring which is easy to clean and disinfect, rotproof and laid
in such a way as to facilitate the draining of water,
— smooth walls with light-coloured washable coating or paint up to a height
of at least 2 m and with rounded angles and corners.
4. The rooms referred to in 1 (d) and 2 (a) must comprise:
— waterproof flooring which is easy to clean and disinfect, rotproof, and
laid in such a way as to facilitate the draining of water; the water must
be channelled under cover towards drains fitted with traps and gratings,
— smooth walls with light-coloured washable coating or paint up to storage
height and at least upto 2 m and with rounded angles and corners.
5. Rooms where work on fresh meat and meat products is undertaken must have
at least:
— adequate ventilation and if necessary, good extraction of steam,
— adequate natural or artificial lighting which does not distort colours;
— equipment, which must be as near as possible to the work stations, for
cleaning and disinfecting hands and working materials. Taps may not be
hand-operable. For washing hands, these facilities must have hot and cold
running water or water premixed to a suitable temperature (from a
premixing tap), cleaning and disinfecting products and disposable hand
towels. For cleaning tools, the temperature of the water must be not less
than + 82 ºC,
— instruments and working equipment such as cutting tables, tables with
detachable cutting surfaces, containers, conveyor belts and saws, of non-
corrodible material, not liable to taint meat and easy to clean and disin-
fect. The use of wood in particular is forbidden.
CHAPTER II
HYGIENE REQUIREMENTSFOR STAFF, ROOMS, EQUIPMENT AND
INSTRUMENTSINESTABLISHMENTS
6. The highest possible standard of cleanliness shall be required of staff,
rooms, equipment and instruments.
(a) All persons entering rooms in which work on fresh meat and meat
products is undertaken must, in particular, wear clean, light-coloured
and easy-to-wash working clothes and headgear with, where necessary,
a neck shield. Staff engaged in manufacture shall wash and disinfect1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 12
▼B
their hands several times during each working day, each time they
resume work, and when their hands have been soiled. Smoking shall
be forbidden in work rooms and storerooms.
(b) No animals shall be allowed inside the establishment. Rodents, insects
and any other vermin must be systematically destroyed.
(c) Equipment and instruments used in manufacture must be carefully
cleaned and disinfected several times during each working day, at the
end of the day's work and before being used again, if they have been
contaminated.
However, continuous production machines should only be cleaned when
work has been finished or in cases where contamination is suspected.
7. Rooms, instruments and working equipment must be used only for the
preparation of meat products.
However, they may be used for the preparation of other foodstuffs either
simultaneously or at different times following authorization by the compe-
tent authority, provided that all appropriate measures are taken to prevent
contamination or adverse changes in the products covered by this Directive.
8. Fresh meat and meat products, their ingredients and containers shall not:
— come into direct contact with the ground,
— be deposited or handled under conditions which might contaminate
them.
Care must be taken to ensure that there is no contact between raw materials
and finished products.
9. While they are in use, the rooms referred to in 2 (g) and (h) must be kept at
a temperature not exceeding + 10 ºC.
10. The temperature laid down in 9 may be disregarded if the competent
authority agrees and if it considers it permissible to do so in order to fulfil
technical conditions of preparation.
11. Cans and similar containers must be thoroughly cleaned immediately before
filling by means of the cleaning apparatus referred to in 2 (j).
12. If necessary, cans and similar containers must be washed in potable water,
after they are hermetically sealed and before retorting, by means of the
apparatus referred to in 2 (k).
13. Products for maintenance and cleaning must be kept in rooms provided for
this purpose.
14. The use of detergents, disinfectants and pesticides must not affect the
wholesomeness of the fresh meat or meat products.
15. Potable water must be used for all purposes including in the retorts.
However, non-potable water may in exceptional cases be used in closed
circuit for steam production, fire-fighting and the cooling of refrigeration
equipment, provided that the pipes installed for this purpose preclude the
use of this water for other purposes.
16. Persons who may contaminate fresh meat and meat products shall be
prohibited from working on or handling them, in particular, persons:
(a) suffering from or suspected of suffering from typhoid fever, paratyphoid
A and B, infectious enteritis (salmonellosis), dysentery, infective hepa-
titis, scarlet fever, or who are carriers of these diseases;
(b) suffering from or suspected of suffering from infectious tuberculosis;(c) suffering from or suspected of suffering from an infectious skin disease;(d) exercising at the same time an activity which might cause microbial
contamination of the fresh meat or meat products;
(e) wearing a bandage on the hands, other than a waterproof dressing
protecting a non-infected wound.
17. A medical certificate shall be required from every person working on fresh
meat or meat products. It shall attest that there is no impediment to such
employment; it shall be renewed annually and each time the competent
authority so requests; it shall be kept at the disposal of the latter.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 13
▼B
CHAPTER III
REQUIREMENTSFOR FRESH MEATTO BE USEDFOR THEMANU-
FACTUREOFMEATPRODUCTS
18. Fresh meat which comes from a slaughterhouse, cutting establishment, cold
store or another processing establishment in the same country as the estab-
lishment concerned must be transported to it under satisfactory sanitary
conditions in accordance with the provisions of the Council Directives
referred to in Article 2 (1) (b) except those on sealing.
19. Meat which does not comply with the conditions of Article 2 (1) (c) may,
be held in approved establishments only if stored in separate places; it must
be used in other places or at other times than meat which does comply with
these conditions. The competent authority must at all times have free access
to cold stores and to all work rooms in order to verify strict observance of
these provisions.
20. As soon as it arrives at the establishment and until it is used, fresh meat
intended for the manufacture of meat products must be stored in a room
where it is kept at a constant internal temperature of not more than + 7 ºC;
however, for offal the temperature shall be not more than + 3 ºC and for
poultrymeat not more than + 4 ºC.
CHAPTER IV
SUPERVISIONOFPRODUCTION
21. Establishments shall be subject to supervision by a competent authority who
must be given due notice before work on meat products intended for intra-
Community trade is undertaken.
22. Constant supervision by the competent authority shall include the following:
— inspection of the entry and exit register for fresh meat and meat
products,
— sanitary inspection of fresh meat intended for the manufacture of meat
products for intra-Community trade and, in the case referred to in para-
graph 3 (b) of Article 3 (1), of meat products,
— inspection of meat products on dispatch from the establishment;— filling in and issuing the health certificate provided for in 34,— verification of the cleanliness of the premises, facilities and instruments
and of staff hygiene as provided for in Chapter II,
— taking of any samples required for laboratory tests,— any supervision measures considered necessary by the competent
authority to ensure compliance with this Directive.
The results of such tests shall be recorded in a register.
23. In the manufacture of meat products in hermetically sealed containers the
competent authority must ensure that:
— the producer samples the daily output, at intervals determined in
advance, to ensure the efficacy of the sealing,
— the producer uses control markers to check that the containers have in
fact undergone suitable heat treatment,
— products in hermetically sealed containers are removed from the heating
equipment at a sufficiently high temperature to ensure rapid evaporation
of humidity and are not touched by hand until completely dry.
24. The results of the various processing controls and tests carried out by the
producer must be kept for presentation on request to the competent
authority.
CHAPTER V
CHECKONTHEEFFECTIVENESSOFTREATMENTS
25. The competent authority must check the effectiveness of the treatment of
meat products, if necessary by taking samples, to ensure that:
— the products have undergone treatment as defined in Article 2 (1) (d),
— the treatment may be considered as complete within the meaning of
Article 2 (1) (e) or incomplete in accordance with Article 2 (1) (f).
26. A product has been treated within the meaning of Article 2 (1) (d) when
either the a
wvalue is less than 0·97 or the cut surface shows that the product
no longer has the characteristics of fresh meat.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 14
▼B
27. A product has undergone complete treatment:
(a) if it has undergone heat-treatment in a hermetically sealed container,
when the Fo value exceeds or equals 3·00 or, in Member States in
which this value is not customarily applied when the check on the treat-
ment has been carried out by means of a seven-day incubation test at
37 ºC or a 10-day test at 35 ºC;
(b) if it has undergone a treatment other than that referred to in (a), when:
(i) the awvalue does not exceed 0·95 and the pH does not exceed 5·2,
(ii) or the awvalue does not exceed 0·91,
(iii) or the pH value is less than 4·5.
If the conditions referred to in (a) and (b) are not fulfilled in the treatment,
the product shall be regarded as having undergone incomplete treatment.
CHAPTER VI
WRAPPINGANDPACKAGINGOFMEATPRODUCTS
28. Wrapping and packaging must take place under satisfactory hygienic condi-
tions in rooms intended for this purpose.
29. Wrapping and packaging must comply with all rules of hygiene, including
the following:
— it must not be such as to alter the organoleptic characteristics of the
meat products,
— it must not be capable of transmitting to the meat products substances
harmful to human health,
— it must be strong enough to protect the meat products adequately.
30. Wrappings may not be re-used for meat products, with the exception of
certain special types of earthenware which may be re-used after cleaning
and disinfecting.
CHAPTER VII
HEALTHMARKING
31. Meat products must be marked. This marking must be carried out under the
responsibility of the competent authority during or immediately after manu-
facture in an easily visible place. The mark must be legible, indelible and its
characters easily distinguishable.
32. However:
(a) where the meat product is individually wrapped and packaged, it shall
suffice for the health mark to be put on the packaging;
(b) where the meat products are to be dispatched in a second container the
mark must also be put on that second container;
(c) the health marking may also consist of an irremovable disc of resistant
material complying fully with hygiene requirements and bearing the
information specified in 33 (a).
33. (a) The health mark must give the following particulars within an oval
surround:
— above:
the initial(s) of the exporting country in capitals, i.e. B — D — DK
— F — IRL — I — L — N L — UK, followed by the approval
number of the establishment;
— below:
one of the following sets of initials: CEE — EEG — EWG — EEC
— EØF.
(b) The health mark may be applied to the product, wrapping or packaging
by inking or branding, or it may be printed on or applied to a label. The
mark must be destroyed when the package is opened. Non-destruction
of this mark may be tolerated only when the package is destroyed on
being opened.
CHAPTER VIII
HEALTHCERTIFICATE
34. The original copy of the health certificate which must accompany meat
products during their transportation to the country of destination must be
issued by the competent authority at the time of loading.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 15
▼B
It must correspond in form and content to the model in Annex B. It must be
written at least in the language(s) of the country of destination and must be
supplemented by the particulars specified. It must be drawn up on a single
sheet of paper.
CHAPTER IX
STORAGEANDTRANSPORT
35. Meat products intended for intra-Community trade must be stored in the
premises referred to in 1 (a).
36. Meat products for which certain storage temperatures are indicated in accor-
dance with Article 4 must be maintained at these temperatures.
37. Meat products must be dispatched in such a way that they are adequately
protected during transportation from anything which may de detrimental to
them or contaminate them, taking into account the length of the journey, the
means of transport and the weather conditions.
38. Meat products must be transported in vehicles equipped to enable them to
be transported when necessary under refrigeration, the temperatures indi-
cated in accordance with Article 4 not being exceeded.1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 16
▼B
ANNEX B
1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 17
▼B
1977L0099 — EN — 27.12.1976 — 000.001 — 18