NoC223/16 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.8.92
2.4.2.Oncecoordination isinplace,anappeals established inordertoensurethattransfervaluesand
procedure (anombudsman forexample?)mightbebenefitshavebeencalculated fairlyandconsistently .
DoneatBrussels,26May1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveontheHygieneofFoodstuffs (])
(92/C223/05)
On6February1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomic andSocialCommittee ,
underArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal .
TheSectionforProtection oftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumer Affairs,which
wasresponsible forpreparingtheCommittee 'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
5May1992.TheRapporteur wasMrGardner .
Atits297thPlenarySession (meetingof26May1992)theEconomic andSocialCommittee
unanimously adoptedthefollowingOpinion .
1.Introduction
1.1.TheCommittee hasaskedforthisproposalon
numerous occasions andtherefore welcomes itwhile
alsodeploringthatitissolate—itshouldhavebeen
issuedtogetherwiththenumerousproposalsforregu­
lationsonhealthrulesforanimalproducts .
1.2.Centraltotheproposals isArticle3requiring
hygienicpracticesrightthroughthefoodchainand
inparticular requiringHACCP (HazardAnalysisand
CriticalControlPoints).Thisinvolvestheproducer
lookingathisprocessindetail,identifying thecritical
pointswherehygieneisatriskandconcentrating con­
trolmeasures onthese.
1.3.Theproposalalsolinksgoodhygienepractices
intheECtotheapplication oftheCodexcodeof
practiceandtheEN29000standardsofqualityassur­
ance.2.Generalcomments
Withallthesepositivefactors,thereisthenegativeone
thatfoodscoveredbyverticaldirectivesorregulations
areexemptedfromitsambit.Sincetheseoftencontain
anumberofderogations fromhealthrulesandalso
oftendonotapplyHACCP,thereremainsaserious
riskforconsumers .ItisforthisreasonthattheCom­
mitteeinitsOpiniononrecentproposals forvertical
regulations (2)insistedthatthisDirectiveandHACCP
mustapplytoallfoodsincludingthosecoveredby
theseverticalproposals .TheEuropeanParliament gave
similaropinions .
2.1.Description ofHACCP
2.1.1.HACCPisamanagement andcontrolsystem
applicabletofoodbusinessofallsizes,whichaimsto
avoidsafetydefects,particularly thoseassociated with
microbiological ,chemicalandphysicalcontaminants .
Itachievesthisbygettingtheoperatorobjectively to
identifyhazardsandtheplaceswheretheycanbe
(i)OJNoC24,31.1.1992,p.11.(2)OJNoC327,30.12.1989;OJNoC124,21.5.1990;OJNo
C84,2.4.1990;OJNoC332,31.12.1990.

31.8.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC223/17
controlled (CriticalControlPoints—CCPs).AHACCP
studydefinesconditions formanufacture andsaferout­
estothemarketplaceforparticularproducts .Itconsists
of:
—Thecollection ofinformation ontheactualpro­
ceduresusedinproduction ,processing ,manufactur­
ing,packaging ,storing,transportation ,distri­
bution,handling ,saleandusage.
—Thesystematic identification andexamination of
potentialhazards,takingaccountoftheinformation
collectedbytheinvestigation procedure outlined
above.
—Theidentification ofthemeansforcontrolofany
hazardsthatposeasignificant risktotheconsumer .
ThesearetheCCPs.Thesemaybearawmaterial,
apieceofequipment ,aproduction environment ,an
operating practiceorprocedure usedtoprovide
foodforconsumption .
—Theprovision oftargetsandlimitsindicating
whetheranoperation isundercontrolataparticular
CCP.ForeachCCP,controlrequirements arespeci­
fiedtogetherwithmonitoring procedures toensure
thatcontrolismaintained .
—Thedefinitionofnecessarycorrectiveactionsforuse
whenmonitoring resultsindicatethataparticular
CriticalControlPointisnotundercontrol .
2.1.2.HACCPandtheEuropean standards EN
29000(=ISO9000)supportsthesamepreventative
approachandareconcerned withthesystematic avoid­
anceofdefectsbyproperattentiontodesignandoper­
ationalpractices .HACCPmustbeappliedtoexisting
andproposedprocessestoreviewtheirsecurityand
generateanyrecommendations forimprovement .Thereasonsare:
a)noxiousinsectsshouldbecoveredaswellasmicro­
organisms ;
b)controlisfrequently bytime/temperature regimes
ratherthanbydirectmicrobiological measurement .
3.2.Eighthpreamble
Thisneedsclarifying .TheEN29000seriesdonot
specifically coverhygiene,theyareamanagement sys­
temoranapproachtoqualityassurance .
3.3.Twelfthpreamble
Thisshouldbechangedtoread:
'Whereas ,toensureahighlevelofprotection ,the
Commission mustbemadeawareofthecompetent
authorities intheMemberStatesresponsible forthe
officialcontroloffoodhygiene.'
3.4.Article1.2
Thisarticleneedschanging .Aswordedatpresentit
meansthattheproposaldoesnotapplytovertical
directivesorregulations evenwherethesecontaindero­
gationsfromnormalhealthrules.Inordertoprotect
theconsumer allfoodshouldbecoveredbythese
hygienerulesexceptinaveryfewspecialized cases
whereadeviationclearlyproposesnohealthrisk.(An
examplewouldbeshrimpsprocessedatseawhichcould
safelybewashedwithseawaterratherthanpotable
water.)
3.4.1.ThisArticlethereforeshouldbechangedto
read:
'ThisDirectivesupplements andoverridesspecific
Community ruleswherethesecontainderogations
whichcouldprejudicegoodhygieneorthesafetyof
food.'
3.4.2.Suchachangewouldbeconcordant withthe
proposedframework verticalregulation (!)onhealth
rulesforanimalproductswhichsaysinArticle1.2:
'Theprovisions ofthepresentRegulation shall
applywithoutprejudicetofuturehorizontal hygiene
legislation infoodstuffs.'
3.5.Article2
3.5.1.Thisshouldincludetwofurtherdefinitions :
'—«Foodstuffs ».Theseincludebeverages .
—«Wholesome foods»meansfoodstuffs which
arefitforhumanconsumption asfarashygiene
isconcerned .'2.2.Healthandsafetyintheworkplace
TheCommittee wouldemphasize thathealthandsafety
ofemployees hasaparticularly closeinterplaywith
foodhygiene .ItthereforewantstheCommission and
MemberStatestopayparticularattentiontothisaspect.
3.Detailedcomments
3.1.Fifthpreamble
Thebeginningofthisshouldbechangedto:
'Whereascriteria,includingmicrobiological ones,
ensuringthehygieneandwholesomeness ofcertain
foodstuffs shallbeadoptedinaccordance with
scientifically acceptedprinciples inordertoprotect
humanhealth.' (1)OJNoC327,30.12.1989.

NoC223/18 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.8.92
3.13.Article6
Toclarifythattheonusisontheoperator ,asecond
sentenceshouldbeadded :
'Theeffectivecompliance withthesesystemsisthe
responsibility offoodbusinesses andshallbemoni­
toredbythecompetent authorities .Suchmonitoring
doesnotremovefromfoodbusinesses theresponsi­
bilityforthereliablecontrolofhygiene.'
3.14.Article7
3.14.1.TheCommittee considersthatprovisions on
thehygieneoffoodstuffs ,suchasarenowproposedby
theCommission ,canonlybemeaningful ifthereare
adequate ,effectivecontrolsthroughout theCom­
munity.TheCommittee thereforewelcomes therefer­
encetoDirective 89/397/EEConthecontroloffood­
stuffs.Theimplementation ofthisDirective isasine
quanonforeffectivepromotion offoodhygiene .There
arestillmajordifferences regardingthecontroloffood­
stuffsintheCommunity andtheCommittee will
addresstheseinitsOpinionon'Additional Measures
ofOfficialControl'^).Meansandfundingofnational
controlauthorities mustbebroughtupatleasttoa
uniformminimum level.
3.14.1.1.TheCommission shallforwardaregular
reporttotheCouncil,theEuropeanParliament andthe
Economic andSocialCommittee ontheresultsofthese
controlsandalsoontheresultsoftraininginfood
hygiene,bothforthefoodbusinesses andforthecom­
petentnationalauthorities .
3.14.2.However ,Article7shouldbecompleted by
adding :
'MemberStatesshallberesponsible forensuring
thatthecompetent authorities applycontrolsuni­
formlywithintheCommunity ,withtheaimthat
onlysafefoodsareplacedonthemarket.'
3.15.Article8.1
3.15.1.Theconditions forsuchactionmustbemore
closelydefinedtogetuniformity throughout theCom­
munity.Alsothelastphraseshouldbechangedto:
'Theclosureoftheundertaking untilanyfoodpro­
ducedbyitiswholesome .'
3.15.2.Thiswouldmakeitclearthattheundertaking
canonlyre-startproduction whentheproductissafe.
3.16.Annex1,SectionIc
Changelastwordsto:
'...pests,fungi,insectsorotheranimals.'3.5.2.Also'schoolcanteens,fastfoodandother
restaurants includingsmallones'shouldbeaddedto
thefootnote .
3.6.Article3.1
Thelastwordsshouldbechangedtoread:
'...handlingandsaleoffoodstuffs shallbecarried
outinaconscientious ,hygienicandprudentway.'
3.7.Article3.2
Addasecondsentence :
'Thisapproachshouldbeusedtoformaneffective
mechanism forensuringthewholesomeness ofany
foodsproducedanditshouldbedeveloped byusing
thetechniqueofHazardAnalysisandCriticalCon­
trolPoints(HACCP).'
3.8.Article3.3
Forreasonsofclaritythisshouldbeexpandedtoread:
'Foodbusinesses shallcomplywiththerulesof
hygieneforfoodstuffs aslistedintheAnnextothis
Directiveandtheprescribed measuresshouldonly
applyifandwhenappropriate forensuringfood
hygieneandwholesomeness .'
3.9.Article3.4(new)
'Theconstruction andworkingenvironment offood
businesses shallbesuchastosafeguardthehealthand
safetyoftheemployees .'
3.10.Article4
Tocoverinsectsetc.thestartofthisshouldbechanged
to:
'Criteriaincludingmicrobiological ones,ensuring
thehygieneandwholesomeness offoodstuffs may
beadopted...'
3.11.Article5.2
TheCommission shouldclarifythis.Amongtheprob­
lemsarethattheEuropeanCommittee forStandardiz­
ation(CEN)atpresenthaslittleexpertisewithfood
hygieneandthishastobedeveloped .
3.12.Article5.4
ToensureuniformlevelsbetweenMemberStates,the
endofthefirstsentenceshouldbeexpandedtoread:
'....complywithArticle3andtoensurethatthe
uniformity ofrequirements specifiedinthesegood
hygienicpracticedocuments establishes aminimum
uniformleveloffoodhygienewithinthefoodbusi­
nessesoftheMemberStates.' (!)OJNoC51,26.2.1992.

31.8.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC223/19
3.17.Annex1,SectionIIf 'Workingsurfacesmustbesmooth,easilycleanable
andtheymustnotallowaccumulation ofpatho­
genicmicro-organisms orfooddebris.Theymust
Changeto: bemadeofnon-toxicmaterials.'
DoneatBrussels,26May1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)layingdownprovisions withregard
topossession ofandtradeinspecimensofspeciesofwildfaunaandflora(*)
(92/C223/06)
On14January1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomic andSocialCommittee ,
underArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomic Community ,onthe
abovementioned proposal .
TheSectionforProtection oftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumer Affairs,which
wasresponsible forpreparingtheCommittee 'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
5May1992.TheRapporteur wasMrRoseingrave .
Atits297thPlenarySession (meetingof26May1992)theEconomic andSocialCommittee
unanimously adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
1.Introduction
1.1.Since1984,tradeinendangered speciesofwild
floraandfaunahasbeenregulated byCouncilRegu­
lation(EEC)No3626/82.
1.1.1.Onthebasisof(i)8years'experience on
controloftradeundertheaboveRegulation and(ii)
thechangeinstatusundergone bymanyspecies,the
Councilhasproposed aRegulation layingdownpro­
visionswithregardtopossession ofandtradeinspeci­
mensofspeciesofwildfaunaandflora(2).
1.2.TheproposedRegulation extendstheprovisions
oftheCITESConvention (3)(1973)(i)toovercome
limitations anddeficiencies impedingcurrentnature
conservation action,(ii)toupdateandadapttheexist­
ingRegulation inthelightofnewtechnicalandscien­tificinformation and(iii)toharmonize conditions in
regardtocompletion andfunctioning oftheinternal
market .Morestrictmeasures takenincertaincountries
mustbeincorporated intoEClegislation before1993.
1.3.TheproposedRegulation setsoutCommunity
framework legislation onthetradeinfloraandfauna
butisnevertheless acomprehensive andcomplicated
document .Thisistoallowarapidandflexibleresponse
bytheCommission andtheenforcement authorities in
theMemberStatesandtoavoidtheproliferation of
piecemeal legislation addressedtotheproblemsposed
byindividual species.TheCommission isassistedbya
committee whichoffersadviceasaresultofwhichthe
Commission canamendtheAnnexes whichliststhe
levelofregulation whichappliestoaparticular species.
Inoutline,theRegulation listsspeciesinoneoffive
Annexes .
1.4.Annexes
1.4.1.AnnexAregulates possession andforbids
commercial tradein
—CITESIspecies(asapprovedbytheCommission ):(1)OJNoC26,3.2.1992,p.1.
(2)Doc.COM(91 )448final.
(3)CITES=Convention onInternational TradeinEndangered
Species—OJNoL384,31.12.1982.