No C 138/24 Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 6. 81 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation concerning the control and examination 
of animals and meat in the Community for the presence of residues of substances with 
oestrogenic, androgenic, gestagenic and thyrostatic effect 
The text referred to the Committee has not yet been published in the Official Journal of 
the European Communities. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 14 January 1981 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 43 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
185th plenary session held in Brussels on 25 and 26 February 1981. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 43 thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council of 
the European Communities on 14 January 1981 for 
an opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation 
concerning the control and examination of animals 
and meat in the Community for the presence of 
residues of substances with oestrogenic, androgenic, 
gestagenic and thyrostatic effect, 
Having regard to the decision taken by its chairman 
on 12 January 1981, instructing the Section for 
Agriculture to prepare the Committee's work on this 
subject (second paragraph of Article 46 of the Rules 
of Procedure — urgency procedure), 
Having regard to its opinion on the proposal for a 
Council Regulation concerning the use of substances 
with a hormonal action and those having a 
thyrostatic action in domestic animals and its 
opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation 
laying down conditions for controlling the 
possession, distribution and administration to 
animals of certain substances with a hormonal 
action, 
Having regard to the oral report made by the 
rapporteur, Mr Jaschick, 
Having regard to its discussions on 25 February 1981 
during its 185th plenary session, held on 25 and 26 
February 1981, HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
by 72 votes for, none against and 14 abstentions: 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Committee welcomes the Commission's 
move to introduce Community rules on the control 
and examination of animals and meat for the 
presence of residues of certain pharmacologically 
active substances. It would insist that meat and meat 
products should be as free from residues as possible 
and that there should also be residue checks for meat 
products, especially those from third countries. The 
planned Regulations must be applied with the same 
stringency everywhere. 
1.2. The Committee thinks that the Commission 
should consult the advisory committees responsible 
for veterinary care and food for human 
consumption. 
2. Specific comments 
Article 2 
2.1. The Committee would draw attention to the 
points made concerning the fixing of tolerances in its 
9. 6. 81 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 138/25 
opinion on the basic Regulation (COM(80) 614 
fin). 
2.2. The Regulation should cover all animals from 
which foodstuffs are derived (livestock). 
Article 3 
2.3. The Committee points out that uniform 
monitoring can be achieved only by laying down 
common methods of analysis. It would stress that 
rules on these methods of analysis are urgently 
needed. Methods must in each case be in keeping 
with the latest state of scientific and technical 
knowledge. 
Articles 4 to 6 
2.4. In view of the fact that residues of the 
substances in question are no longer detectable by 
traditional methods as little as 48 hours after the 
substances have been administered, the Committee 
would observe that there would be a considerably 
greater guarantee of detecting residues if 
examinations were carried out in the production 
establishments. It thinks that these examinations 
should have priority over examinations in 
slaughterhouses. Examinations in slaughterhouses 
could supplement examinations in the production 
establishments. The Committee would therefore 
suggest that the order of priority in Articles 4 to 6, 
Section B, be reversed. 
Done at Brussels, 25 February 1981. 2.5. The Committee observes that it would be 
unacceptable if meat from third countries were to be 
treated differently from that from the Member 
States. 
Article 8 
2.6. The Committee refers to the points made 
concerning a fair apportionment of the costs in its 
opinion on the basic Regulation. 
Article 11 
2.7. The Committee urges that the provisions of this 
proposal for a Regulation should come into force at 
the same time as the basic Regulation. 
Annex 1 
2.8. The Committee would stress the importance of 
a tight monitoring network to prevent contraventions 
of the rules. It points out that the certainty of 
detecting contraventions with the proposed basic 
monitoring must be at least as great as in the case of 
the current checks based essentially on the 
examination of certain percentages of the animals. 
2.9. The Committee thinks that all animals from 
which foodstuffs are derived should be covered by 
the Regulation. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Tomas ROSEINGRAVE