2. 10.81 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 252/11 
Proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 71/118/EEC on health problems 
affecting trade in fresh poultrymeat 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 23 September 1981) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN 
COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 43 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, influence on the standard of hygiene; whereas a 
uniform criterion of assessment should also be laid 
down; 
Whereas decisions laying down and, where necessary, 
amending the microbiological methods to be 
employed for microbiological control should be 
adopted in accordance with a procedure ensuring 
close cooperation between the Member States and the 
Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Whereas Council Directive 71/118/EEC ('), as last 
amended by Directive 80/216/EEC (2), lays down the 
hygiene conditions under which fresh poultrymeat 
must be produced in slaughterhouses and cutting 
plants; whereas that Directive provided for health 
inspections to be carried out; whereas microbioligical 
analyses covering inter alia equipment, utensils, 
carcases and water, constitute a means for achieving 
an objective assessment of the standard of hygiene; 
Whereas microbiological control provides the health 
inspection service with useful information and thus 
constitutes an effective means of checking and 
improving the standard of hygiene in establishments; 
whereas such control must provide the micro­
biological guideline within the meaning of the 
Council Decision . . .; whereas the veterinary 
inspection authority should therefore be granted the 
authority to make microbiological checks compulsory 
where it sees fit; 
Whereas the execution of microbiological control in 
slaughterhouses and cutting plants must be based on 
the use of harmonized microbiological methods so 
that comparable results can be obtained; 
Whereas provision should be made for employing 
Community microbiological methods for assessing the 
correct functioning of plant for chilling carcases by 
immersion in a counter flow of water and its 
(') OJ No L 55, 8. 3. 1971, p. 23. 
(2) OJNoL47, 21.2. 1980, p. 8. Article 1 
Directive 71/118/EEC is modified as follows: 
1. In Article 4 (1) the following words are added 
after 'when carrying out ante mortem and post 
mortem inspections': 'the microbiological control 
provided for in Article 5 (2a),'. 
2. In Article 5 the following paragraph is added after 
paragraph 2: 
'2a 
(a) As part of the hygiene control of 
establishments the official veterinarian may, 
where he considers it necessary, have recourse 
to microbiological control in order to gather 
further information on which to base the 
assessment. 
Microbiological control may relate to: 
— the utensils, fittings and machinery, in 
order to determine the aerobic micro­
organism count, 
— poultrymeat, in order to determine, at all 
stages of the production line, the aerobic 
micro-organism, enterobacteriaceae or 
coliform count, 
— the water in the various items of 
machinery, particularly the poultry carcase 
chilling tanks, in order to determine the 
aerobic micro-organism, enterobacteriaceae 
or coliform count. 
No C 252/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 2.10.81 
(b) The results of a microbiological examination 
must be assessed by comparing them with the 
results of previous checks. 
(c) The microbiological methods to be employed 
for microbiological control and the sampling 
plan shall be adopted within six months from 
the adoption of this Directive in accordance 
with the procedure laid down in Article 12a. 
The microbiological methods and the sampling 
plan may be amended in accordance with that 
same procedure. 
(d) The results of the microbiological control shall 
be recorded.' 
3. Paragraph 28b (i) of Chapter V of the Annex I is 
amended to read as follows: 
'— the correct functioning of the chilling plant 
and its effect on the hygiene level shall be 
evaluated by comparing the contamination of 
the carcases by aerobic micro-organisms and 
enterobacteriaceae before and after immersion. 
Such comparison must be carried out when the 
plant is first brought into use and thereafter 
periodically and in any case each time any 
alterations are made to the plant. The microb­
iological methods to be employed for such 
comparison and the sampling plan shall be 
adopted in accordance with the procedure laid 
down in Article 12a within six months from 
the adoption of this Directive. The abovementioned methods and plan may 
be amended in accordance with that same 
procedure. 
The functioning of the plant for chilling by 
immersion in a counter flow of water shall be 
regarded as acceptable in terms of hygiene 
where the geometric mean of aerobic micro­
organisms and enterobacteriaceae found on 
the carcase at the point of exit from the 
chilling tank is lower than the number found 
before immersion using the same method. The 
functioning of the various parts of the chilling 
plant must be regarded so as to ensure a satis­
factory standard of hygiene. 
the results of the abovementioned checks shall 
be recorded.' 
Article 2 
Member States shall bring into force the laws, regu­
lations and administrative provisions necessary to 
comply with this Directive on 1 July 1982 and 
immediately inform the Commission thereof. 
Article 3 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.