ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(78)410
Vol.1978/0158

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement(CEE,Euratom)n°354/83duConseildu1erfévrier1983
concernantl'ouvertureaupublicdesarchiveshistoriquesdelaCommunauté économique
européenneetdelaCommunautéeuropéennedel'énergieatomique(JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifiéparlerèglement(CE,Euratom)n°1700/2003du22septembre2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003,p.1),cedossierestouvertaupublic.Lecaséchéant,lesdocuments
classifiésprésentsdanscedossierontétédéclassifiésconformément àl'article5dudit
règlement.
InaccordancewithCouncilRegulation(EEC,Euratom)No354/83of1February1983
concerningtheopeningtothepublicofthehistoricalarchivesoftheEuropeanEconomic
CommunityandtheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity(OJL43,15.2.1983,p.1),as
amendedbyRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1700/2003of22September2003(OJL243,
27.9.2003,p.1),thisfileisopentothepublic.Wherenecessary,classifieddocumentsinthis
filehavebeendeclassified inconformitywithArticle5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung(EWG,Euratom)Nr.354/83desRatesvom1.
Februar1983überdieFreigabederhistorischen ArchivederEuropäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI.L43vom15.2.1983,
S.1),geändertdurchdieVerordnung(EG,Euratom)Nr.1700/2003vom22.September2003
(ABI.L243vom27.9.2003,S.1),istdieseDateiderÖffentlichkeitzugänglich.Soweit
erforderlich,wurdendieVerschlusssachen indieserDateiinÜbereinstimmung mitArtikel5
dergenanntenVerordnungfreigegeben.

COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(78)410 final.
Brussels,8September 1978
ReportbytheCommissiontotheCouncilonthesubject .
ofcertainfreshmeatofpigs
ProposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingDirective
64/433/EEConhealthproblemsaffectingintra-Community
tradeinfresh-meat . •
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission )
C0M(78)410final.

ReportbytheCommissiontotheCouncil
onthesubjectofcertainfreshmeatof.
pigs
INTRODUCTION
/
In1976,whenthedraftdirectiveonhealthproblemsaffectingintra-Community ■
tradeinmeatproductswasbeingdiscussed,.thematterofadmittingboarmeatto
intra-Community tradewasraised.Thisled'tothequestionwhethertheinterdiction
onbringingfreshmeatfrommalepigsintothattrade,aslaiddowninArticle3>
fourthparagraphunder"a",shouldbelimitedtopigsused'forbreeding.
PursuanttothepresentlanguageversionsofthetextincertainMemberStates,
thisinterdiction coversalsonon-castrated pigswhich.arenotusedforbreeding
purposes.-Thiswasinconformitywiththepracticeofcastrating .pigsdestined
forfatteningsoonaftertheirbirth.Themeatofmalepigsnotusedfor
breedingpurposeshas,ingeneral,nosexualodour,however,andobjectionsare
presentedtocastrationinviewofmoderntrends.
ResearchintheMemberStates,viz.Belgium(Bekaerta.o.,1974)>Denmark(Staun,
1971))Germany(WittandSchroder,1969)>England(PayandDavies,1973;Prescott
andLamming,1964and19^7;Rhodes ,andPatterson,1971),France(Desmoulin.:1973:
PerezandDesmoulin,1975;Texiera.o.,1970),Ireland;(Carrolla.o..,19^3)
Ital.v(Mordentia.o.,1968),theNetherlands (Walstra,1974)>hasshownthatthe
feedconversion(i.e.thenumberofkilogrammesoffeednecessaryforonekilogramme
growth)andthemeat/fatratioincaseofmalenon-castrated slaughterpigsis
considerably morefavourablethaninthecaseofcastratedanimals.
Inaddition,"modernbreedingtechniquesproducepigs,whichgrowmorerapidlyand
whichareslaughteredbeforetheyreachastageofdevelopmentliabletoresult
inpersistentsexualodour,Theonlyuncastratedanimalsnormallyretained
beyondthisstageofdevelopment bythefarmerarethosespecifically keptfor
breedingpurposes. ^
Therehavealsobeenimportantchangesinconsumerpreference,whichisincreasingly
demandinglessfatonmeatandcutsandjointsofmeatofasmallersize,bothof-
whicharebestsuppliedbytheuncastratedpigproducedbypresentmodemtechniques

-2-
Researchastothepresenceofabnormalandsexualodour
Theintensityofboarodourdependsprimarilyonthequantityofcertainsteroids
(inparticularof5i-androst-16-en3–one)infattytissues.Inthe
caseofsensoryperceptionthedemonstration ofitspresenceisdependentonthe
personswhocarryoutthetests.
Itmustalso"betakenintoaccountthatmeatfromfemalepigsmayalsoshowan
abnormalodour.
Consumerpsiels
ExperimentsinBritain(Rhodes,1971/1972).andintheNetherlands (Walstraand
Maarse,1970)withlargeconsumerpanelsindicatethatconsumersintheirfamily
situationarenotverysensitivetosexrualodourinpigmeat.
Inthecaseofporkfrompigsof100kgliveweight,nocomplaintsaboutboarpork
weremade.Inthecaseofbaconlessthan1$oftheconsumersprovedtobeaccurate
indifferentiating odourfromboarsandfemalesincookingandthejudgements
"lessthannormal"fortastewereupto5.5$higherincookedbaconfromboars.
TheviewoftheBritishresearchworkers,supportedbyamorerecentmarketingtrial,
inwhich4000kgofboarporkwassoldthroughanormalretailoutletoveraperiod
of10weekswithoutconsumercomplaintofanysort(RhodesandKrylow,1975),is
thatnoevidenceindicatesthatadverseconsumerreactionistobeexpectedfrom
thecessationofthecastrationofporkorbaconpigsrearedformeat.
IntheconsumertrialreportedbyWalstra(1974),720familiesreceived,meatfrom
boarcarcasesgradedashaving"strong"sexualodour,andmeatfromgilts.Cutlets
andbellycutsfromboarswereconsideredtohavea"lesspleasant"odour-in
15and29$ofthecasesrespectively .Insimilarcutsfromgiltsapercentageof
about4wasfound,(itisobservedthattherewereconsumers,bothinEngland
andtheNetherlands,whopreferredboarmeat).
Malenigsusedforbreedingpurposes -
a)Itisgenerallyacceptedthatwithinthiscategoryofpigsahighpercentagepossess
sexualodour;however,fewconcretedatahavebeenpublishedonthismatter.
Experiencef.omveterinaryinspections showsthatinthecaseofoldboarsthe
occurrenceofsexualodourdiminishesbutthekidneysofsuchanimalsshowa
pronounced ^normalodour..
Simularly,experiencefromveterinaryinspections showsthathermaphrodite and
cryptorchide pigsalsohavepronouncedodours. .
Itisthereforeadvisabletoexcludethemeatofsuchanimalsfromintrar-Community
trade. '

However,itiswellestablishedthat>ifboarswhichhave"beenusedfcr
breeding -aresubsequentlycastrated6weeksormorebeforeslaughter .,sexual
odourisnolongerdetected.Inconsequence ,itisnotnecessarytoexclude
themeatofsuchanimals-fromintra-Community trade. ■-
MeetProducts .
Asindicatedundertheheading"Consumerpanels".astudysoftheliterature .
(Moernans'anaWalstra1977)demonstratedthatboarmeatmaybesuitablefor
useincertainneatproducts...'2heneatofanir.&lsusedforbreeding -sayonly
beusedinthesemeatproducts,however,whentheyarestronglyspicedto
theextentthattheodourishidden.Thisfactintroducesparticularlimitations
intheuseofthismeat-.Toincorporatethistypeofmeatintofreetradewould
produceproblemsofcontroltodetermineitsuse,whichwpuldimpedethegeneral
principleoffreetradeatpresentincorporatedinthedirective.Inaddition,
the.quantityofproductlikelytobeinvolvedisverylimited,particularly
whenthepossibilityofintroducing intotrademeatofanimalscastratedat
least6weeksbeforeslaughterisconsidered.Inconsequence,itwouldnot
bejustifiedtoincludespecialprovisionsrelatedtomeatproductsinthe
presenttext..
Conclusion --
Asthemeatofa.largeproportionofmalepigsusedforbreeding -andof
hermaphrodite andcryptorchidpigshasstrongsexualodour,intra-Community
tradeofsuchmeatshouldcontinuetobeprohibited.However,meatofpigs"
usedforbreedingwhicharecastratedatleast6weeksbeforeslaughtermay
beallowedintointra-Community trade. •
TakingintoaccounttheprovisionsofArticle3(2)dofthedirective,the-
normalactivityofinspectionwillcontinuetoprotecttheconsumerand
ensureforalltypesoffreshmeatthatmeatwithabnormalodoursdoesnot
enterintra-Communitytrade.
TheCommissionthereforeproposesmodification totheCouncildirective
of26June19^4onhealthproblemsaffectingintra-Community tradeinfresh
meat(64/433/EEC),inaccordancewiththeannexeddocument.

Proposal for a
' ANNEX
Council Directive
of
amending Directive .64/433/EEC onhealth problems affecting
intra^-Community trade infresh meat
THECOUNCIL OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES , ' '
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community /andin
particular Articles 43and100thereof ;
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission ;
Having regc rdtotheopinion oftheEuropean Parliament ;
Having regard totheopinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ;
Whereas ,pursuant tothepresent language versions insome Member States ofthe
Council Directive 64/433/EECof26June 1964 onhealth problems affecting intra -
1 > i i( h• . *1f-/"»"ÏA/«–Community trade infresh meat ,aslast amended by Directive 75/379/EEC ,the
prohibition onintra-Community trade ofboar meat includes non-castrated pigs which
are not used forbreeding ;
Whereas themeat ofmale pigs used forbreeding ,andofcryptorchid andhermaphrodite
pigs ,isshown byinspection experience tohave apronounced unpleasant odour ,
which puts particular limitations ontheuseofsuch meat ;whereas to -incorporate
this type ofmeat into intra-Community trade atthe present time would produce
problems ofcontrol todetermine itsuse ,which would impede thegeneral principle
offree trade atpresent incorporated intheDirective ;whereas inconsequence
intra-Community trade infresh meat from these animals should continue tobelimited ;
Whereas ,however ,itisestablished that ,when boars which areused forbreeding
arecastrated atleast sixweeks before slaughter ,theunpleasant odour isno
longer detected ;whereas inconsequence itisnotnecessary toexclude themeat
ofsuch animals from intra-Community trade ;
Whereas modern breeding techniques produce pigs which grow more rapidly andwhich
areslaughtered before they reach astage ofdevelopment liable toresult in
persistent odour ;whereas inconsequence itisnotnecessary tolimit intra -
Community trade infresh meat from these male animals which have notbeen used
•forbreeding ;
Whereas the provisions ofthe Directive ensure that thenormal activity of
'"spection v.11continue toprotect theconsumer andensure ,foralltype offresh
meat ,that n.-atwith abnormal odour does notenter intra-Community trade :
10J121,29.7.64 ,p.2012

-2-
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE;. -
*• ■■ ■t
-, sArticle 1''
.i»■.r«i■■■– .
Article3(a)ofDirective64/.433/EECisamended'toreadas,follows:
'a)-freshmeatfromcryptorchid andhermaphrodite pigs
-freshmeatofmalepigswhichhavebeen,usedforbreeding,with,the
exceptionoffreshmeatfromtheseanimalswhentheyhavebeencastrated ,
atleastsixweeksprior"toslaughter."v •
'*Article2
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.
*-/