EN Official Journal of the European Union L 68/8

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2018/354

of 8 March 2018

authorising methods for grading pig carcases in Ireland

(Only the English text is authentic)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (1), and in particular Article 20(p) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Point 1 of Section B.IV of Annex IV to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 provides that, for the classification of pig carcases, the lean-meat content has to be assessed by means of grading methods authorised by the Commission and only statistically proven assessment methods based on the physical measurement of one or more anatomical parts of the pig carcase may be authorised. The authorisation of grading methods should be subject to compliance with a maximum tolerance for statistical error in assessment. That tolerance is defined in Article 23(3) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1249/2008 (2).

(2) By Commission Decision 87/293/EC (3), the use of two methods for grading pig carcases in Ireland was authorised.

(3) Ireland has requested the Commission to remove the method ‘Fat-O-Meat'er (FOM)’ from the list of authorised methods for grading pig carcases in Ireland, as it is no longer used, to authorise three new methods for grading pig carcases on its territory and to update the existing equation for the instrument ‘Hennessy Grading Probe 2 (HGP2)’.

(4) Ireland has presented a detailed description of the dissection trial, indicating the principles on which those new methods are based, the results of its dissection trial and the equations used for assessing the percentage of lean meat in the protocol provided for in Article 23(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1249/2008.

(5) Examination of that request has revealed that the conditions for authorising the new grading methods and updating the equation are fulfilled. Those grading methods should therefore be authorised in Ireland.

(6) For reasons of clarity and legal certainty, a new decision should be adopted. Decision 87/293/EC should therefore be repealed.

(7) Modifications of the apparatuses or grading methods should not be allowed, unless they are explicitly authorised by Commission Implementing Decision.

(8) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The use of the following methods is authorised for grading pig carcases pursuant to Point 1 of Section B.IV of Annex IV to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 in Ireland:

(a) the ‘Hennessy Grading Probe 2 (HGP 2)’ apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto, details of which are given in Part I of the Annex;

(b) the ‘Hennessy Grading Probe 7 (HGP 7)’ apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto, details of which are given in Part II of the Annex;

(c) the ‘Fat-O-Meat'er II (FOM II)’ apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto, details of which are given in Part III of the Annex;

(d) the ‘AutoFom III’ apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto, details of which are given in Part IV of the Annex.

Article 2

Modifications of the authorised apparatuses or grading methods shall not be allowed, unless those modifications are explicitly authorised by Commission Implementing Decision.

Article 3

Decision 87/293/EC is repealed.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to Ireland.

Done at Brussels, 8 March 2018. For the Commission Phil HOGAN Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671.

(2) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1249/2008 of 10 December 2008 laying down detailed rules on the implementation of the Community scales for the classification of beef, pig and sheep carcases and the reporting of prices thereof (OJ L 337, 16.12.2008, p. 3).

(3) Commission Decision 87/293/EC of 18 May 1987 authorising methods for grading pig carcases in Ireland (OJ L 146, 6.6.1987, p. 66).