COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2021/1422

of 26 April 2021

amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/624 as regards certification in case of slaughter at the holding of provenance

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

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

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products, amending Regulations (EC) No 999/2001, (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) No 1069/2009, (EC) No 1107/2009, (EU) No 1151/2012, (EU) No 652/2014, (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1/2005 and (EC) No 1099/2009 and Council Directives 98/58/EC, 1999/74/EC, 2007/43/EC, 2008/119/EC and 2008/120/EC, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 89/608/EEC, 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 96/23/EC, 96/93/EC and 97/78/EC and Council Decision 92/438/EEC (Official Controls Regulation) (1), and in particular Article 18(7)(d) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) 2017/625 lays down rules for the official controls and other official activities performed by the competent authorities of the Member States in order to verify compliance with the rules to apply Union legislation in the areas of food and food safety at all stages of the production, processing and distribution process. These official controls include ante-mortem inspection of animals intended for slaughter.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/624 (2) lays down criteria and conditions to determine when ante-mortem inspections may be performed at the holding of provenance.

(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1374 (3), amending Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) allows the slaughter of domestic bovine and porcine animals, and domestic solipeds on the holding of provenance under certain conditions. These conditions include that animals are to undergo ante-mortem inspection prior to slaughter and the result of such inspection is to be attested in an official certificate accompanying the bodies of the slaughtered animals to an approved slaughterhouse in accordance with Article 6 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/624.

(4) The scope of Article 6 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/624 should be extended to cover also to domestic bovine and porcine animals, and domestic solipeds to ensure that in case of their slaughter at the holding of provenance, the safety of the meat is not jeopardised.

(5) Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/624 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1 Article 6 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/624 is amended as follows: (1) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: ‘1 The competent authorities shall apply the specific criteria and conditions laid down in this Article in the relevant cases of poultry, farmed game, domestic bovine and porcine animals and domestic solipeds.’; (2) point 3 is replaced by the following: ‘3 In the case of domestic bovine and porcine animals, domestic solipeds and farmed game, slaughtered at the holding of provenance in accordance with Chapter VIa of section I or point 3 of Section III of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, the official certificate completed in accordance with the model official certificate set out in Chapter 3 of Annex IV to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 (*) shall accompany the animals to the slaughterhouse or be sent in advance in any format, instead of the certificate referred to in Article 5(2)(f) to this Regulation. (*) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 of 16 December 2020 laying down rules for the application of Regulations (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards model animal health certificates, model official certificates and model animal health/official certificates, for the entry into the Union and movements within the Union of consignments of certain categories of animals and goods, official certification regarding such certificates and repealing Regulation (EC) No 599/2004, Implementing Regulations (EU) No 636/2014 and (EU) 2019/628, Directive 98/68/EC and Decisions 2000/572/EC, 2003/779/EC and 2007/240/EC (OJ L 442, 30.12.2020, p. 1).’"

Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of 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, 26 April 2021. For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 95, 7.4.2017, p. 1.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/624 of 8 February 2019 concerning specific rules for the performance of official controls on the production of meat and for production and relaying areas of live bivalve molluscs in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 131, 17.5.2019, p. 1).

(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1374 of 12 April 2021 amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific hygiene requirements for food of animal origin (OJ L 297, 20.8.2021, p. 1).

(4) Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin (OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 55).