COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMVttJNITIES 
C0M(92) 148 final 
Brussels, 5 May 1992 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) 
concerning the identification and 
registration of animals 
(presented by the Commission) 
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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 
The Council has adopted Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 19901, 
concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra-
Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the 
completion of the internal market. 
Article 3, paragraph (1)(c) of the Directive states that animals for 
intra-Community trade must be identified in accordance with the 
requirements of Community rules and be registered in such a way that 
the original or transit holding, centre or organization can be traced 
and, that before 1 January 1993, these identification and registration 
systems shall be extended to the movements of animals within the 
territory of each Member State; 
The management of Community aid schemes, in particular concerning stock 
farming of cattle, make it indispensable to be able to rely on 
identification and registration rules applicable throughout the 
Community and satisfying the same minimum conditions. These 
requirements will be of major importance in the near future, taking 
into consideration the reform of the CAP as well as the foreseeable 
effect of the situation after 1992. From a pragmatic viewpoint the 
needs to identify and to trace back animals for veterinary as well as 
market purposes must, in this respect, be combined. 
The proposed Regulation provides for minimum requirements, which means 
that the Member States may extend the rules. 
The proposed measures aim to permit movements of animals to be traced 
rapidly and accurately. 
For this reason, animals must be identified by a mark and accompanied 
by a document throughout any movement. 
1 OJ No L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 29. 
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For the purpose of this Regulation an animal is identified as any 
bovine, ovine, caprine or porcine animal and any farmed deer kept on a 
ho Id i ng. 
The mark shall bear an alphanumeric code which identifies the holding. 
For bovine animals the alpha numeric code shall in addition identify 
each individuai animal. 
The competent Authority may permit derogations from the requirements 
for marks and documents in the case of animals moving directly from a 
farm to a slaughterhouse, but these animals must in any case be 
identified so that their farm of origin can be traced. 
The requirements for the mark and the document are laid down in an 
Annex. 
In order to ensure an effective system of control, the owners or 
keepers of holdings must maintain up-to-date records of the animals on 
their holdings and persons involved in the commerce of animals must 
keep records of their dealings. The competent Authority will have 
access to these records on request. 
Provision is made for a rapid and effective exchange of information 
between Member States. 
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Proposal for a 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) 
concerning the identification and 
registration of animals 
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, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee, 
Whereas Article 3(1)(c) of Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 
concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra-
Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the 
completion of the internal market1, as last amended by Directive 
91/496/EEC2, states that animals for intra-Community trade must be 
identified in accordance with the requirements of Community rules and 
be registered in such a way that the original or transit holding, 
centre or organization can be traced, and that before 1 January 1993 
these identification and registration systems are to be extended to the 
movements of animals within the territory of each Member State; 
1 0J No L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 29. 
2 0J No L 268, 24.9.1991, p. 56. 
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Whereas Article 14 of Council Directive 91/496/EEC of 15 July 1991 
laying down the principles governing the organization of veterinary 
checks on animals entering the Community from third countries and 
amending Directives 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC and 90/675/EEC states that 
for animals entering the Community from third countries the 
identification and registration provided for in Article 3(1)(c) of 
Directive 90/425/EEC must, except in the case of animals for slaughter 
and registered equidae, be carried out at the place of destination of 
the animals; 
Whereas the management of certain Community aid schemes in the field of 
agriculture requires the individual identification of certain types of 
livestock; whereas the identification and registration system must, 
therefore, be suitable for the application and control of such 
measures; 
Whereas it is necessary to ensure the rapid and efficient exchange of 
information between Member States for the correct application of this 
Regulation; whereas Community provisions have been established by 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 1468/81 of 19 May 1981 on mutual assistance 
between the administrative authorities of the Member States and 
cooperation between the latter and the Commission to ensure the correct 
application of the law on customs or agricultural matters3, as amended 
by Regulation (EEC) No 945/874 and by Council Directive 89/608/EEC on 
mutual assistance between the administrative authorities of the Member 
States and cooperation between the latter and the Commission to ensure 
the correct application of legislation on veterinary and zootechnical 
matters^; 
Whereas owners or keepers of holdings must maintain up-to-date records 
of the animals on their holdings; whereas persons involved in the 
commerce of animals must keep records of their dealings; whereas the 
competent authority must have access to these records on request; 
3 OJ NO L 144, 2.6.1981. p. 1. 
4 OJ No L 90, 2.4.1987, p. 3. 
5 OJ No L 351, 2.12.1989, p. 34. 
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Whereas in order to permit movements of animals to be traced rapidly 
and accurately, animals must be identified by a mark and accompanied by 
a document throughout any movement; whereas the form and content of the 
mark and, where another Community document is not required, the 
document, must be laid down on a Community basis; 
Whereas provision should be made for waiving the requirements for marks 
and documents in the case of animals moving directly from a farm to a 
slaughterhouse; whereas, however, these animals must in any case be 
identified so that their farm of origin can be traced; 
Whereas in the case of animals in which the mark has been lost or 
become illegible, a new mark must be applied under the supervision of 
the competent authority; 
Whereas this Regulation must not affect specific requirements contained 
in Commission Decision 89/153/EEC of 13 February 1989 concerning the 
correlation of samples taken for residue examination with animals and 
their farms of origin6, or any relevant applicatory rules established 
in accordance with Directive 91/496/EEC; 
Whereas provision must be made for a management committee procedure for 
the adoption of any necessary implementing rules and for supplementing 
or amending the annexes, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
OJ No L 59, 2.3.1989, p. 33. 
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Art icle 1 
This Regulation sets out minimum requirements for the identification 
and registration of animals. 
It shall apply without prejudice to Decision 89/153/EEC and to 
implementing rules laid down in accordance with Directive 91/496/EEC. 
Article 2 
For the purpose of this Regulation the following definitions shall 
apply: 
(a) ho Id i no: any premises in which animals are kept or handled; 
(b) farm: an agricultural establishment other than the premises of a 
dealer or a market, in which the animals referred to in point (c) 
are regularly kept; 
(c) animal: any bovine, ovine, caprine, or porcine animal and any 
farmed deer kept on a holding; 
(d) owner or keeper: any person or persons, either natural or legal, 
having ownership of the animals, or charged with keeping the said 
animals, whether or not for financial gain; 
(e) competent authority: the co-ordinating public authority referred to 
in Article 3 or any authority to which it has delegated tasks in 
application of this Regulation; 
(f) movement: the movement of an animal between holdings. 
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Art icle 3 
Member States shall designate a coordinating public authority competent 
for ensuring the application of the requirements of this Regulation and 
shall inform each other and the Commission of the identity of this 
authority. This authority shall ensure that the inspection services of 
the Commission and of its own Member State, responsible for veterinary 
or zootechnical matters or for implementing Community aid schemes, 
have access to all information relating to this Regulation. 
Article 4 
1. Each competent authority shall keep a list of all holdings in its 
terr itory. 
2. An owner or keeper of a holding shall keep a permanent register of 
all animals on that holding and shall make that register available 
to the competent authority, upon request, at any time. 
3. The register shall record all movements of animals to and from the 
holding and all births and deaths of animals on the holding, along 
with the dates of these events. 
Art icle 5 
1. Without prejudice to paragraph 3, before an animal leaves the 
holding on which it was born, it shall be identified by a mark in 
accordance with the requirements laid down in Annex A. 
2. The mark shall bear an alphanumeric code, assigned by the competent 
authority, which identifies the holding. 
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3. For bovine animals, the alphanumeric code referred to in 
paragraph 2 shall in addition identify each individual animal. It 
shall be applied before the animal is 14 days old, and in any case 
before the animal leaves the holding on which it was born. The 
codes supplied to a holding shall be applied in numerical order. 
4. No mark shall be removed without the permission of the competent 
authority. Where a mark has been lost or has become illegible, a 
new mark in accordance with this Article shall be applied 
immediately by, or under the supervision of, the competent 
authority. The owner or keeper shall record the new mark in the 
register referred to in Article 4(2). 
5. An animal imported from a third country shall be given a mark in 
accordance with this Article within 14 days of its arrival at the 
holding of destination, except where that holding is a 
slaughterhouse. 
6. Requirements for the permanent individual identification of certain 
types of animals in addition to bovine animals may be adopted in 
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 10. 
Art icle 6 
1. Throughout any movement an animal shall be identified by a mark in 
accordance with Article 5, and accompanied by a completed movement 
document in accordance with the requirements laid down in Annex B. 
However, this movement document shall not be necessary in the case 
of animals accompanied by a certificate or document required by 
Community veterinary or zootechnical legislation laid down 
elsewhere. 
2. The movement document shall be retained by the owner or keeper of 
the animals at the holding of destination for at least 12 months 
from the date of arrival of the animal. 
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Art icle 7 
The competent authority may waive the requirements of Article 5(1), 
except in the case of bovine animals, and Article 6, in respect of 
animals moving directly from a farm to a slaughterhouse, without 
passing through any other holding, if the farm and the slaughterhouse 
are situated on the territory of the same competent authority. In such 
cases, it shall ensure that the animals are identified in such a way as 
to enable their farm of origin to be traced rapidly. 
Art icle 8 
Any owner or keeper, and any person engaged in the transport, marketing 
or slaughter of animals shall supply the competent authority, upon 
request of that authority, with information concerning the keeping or 
movement of animals which they have owned, kept, transported, marketed 
or slaughtered and shall furnish all the details concerning such 
informat ion. 
Art icle 9 
1. Rules for the application of this Regulation may be adopted in 
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 10. 
2. The provisions of the Annexes may be supplemented or amended in 
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 10. 
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Art icle 10 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Standing Veterinary 
Committee set up by Council Decision 68/361/EEC7, hereinafter 
referred to as "the committee". 
2. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is to be followed, 
the following provisions shall apply. 
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a 
draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its 
opinion on the draft within a time limit which the Chairman may lay 
down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be 
delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in 
the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a 
proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the 
Member States within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set 
out in that Article. The Chairman shall not vote. 
The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately. 
However, if these measures are not in accordance with the opinion of 
the Committee, they shall be communicated by the Commission to the 
Council forthwith. In that event the Commission may defer application 
of the measures which it has decided for a period of one month from the 
date of communication; the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may 
take a different decision within the time limit referred to in the 
first indent. 
OJ No L 255, 18.10.1968, p. 23 
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Article 11 
Member States shall take the appropriate specific measures to penalize 
any infringement of this Regulation. 
Article 12 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following 
that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European 
Commun i t i es. 
It shall apply with effect from 1 January 1993. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly 
applicable in all Member States. 
Done at Brussels, For the Council 
The President 
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ANNEX A 
Requirements for marks 
A mark shall comply with at least the following requirements: 
1. It shall be an eartag or a tattoo. 
2. It shall be tamperproof, easy to read and capable of being used 
only once. 
3. It shall be of such a quality as to remain on the animal and remain 
legible during the lifetime of the animal under normal 
circumstances. 
4. It shall not be harmful to the animal. 
5. The first letter on the mark shall identify the Member State thus: 
B Be Ig i urn 
D Denmark 
E Ireland 
F France 
G Germany 
H Greece 
I Italy 
L Luxembourg 
N Netherlands 
P Portugal 
S Spa i n 
U United Kingdom 
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ANNEX B 
Requirements for movement documents 
A movement document shall provide at least the following information: 
1. Where applicable, the complete identification number on the mark. 
2. The address of the place of departure and the name and address of 
the owner or keeper of the animals. 
3. The address of the place of destination and the name and address of 
the owner or keeper of the animals. 
4. The name and address of the transporter. 
5. The registration number of the means of transport. 
6. The date of transport. 
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ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(92) 148 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 03 
Catalogue number: CB-CO-92-165-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-43254-3 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
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