No C 168/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 28.6.84 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Directive on the financing of health inspections and controls of 
fresh meat 
COM(84) 291 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 4 June 1984) 
(84/C 168/04) 
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 in order to make the health safeguards 
offered to the consumer uniform, Council Directive 
64/433/EEC (»), as last amended by Directive 83/90/ 
EEC (2), provided for the implementation of health 
inspections and controls in respect of fresh meat 
likely to be involved in intra-Community trade; 
Whereas, in order to safeguard human and animal 
health in the Community, Council Directive 72/462/ 
EEC (3), as last amended by Directive 83/91/EEC (4), 
provides for health controls to be carried out by the 
competent authorities of the Member States upon 
importation of fresh meat and for inspections to be 
carried out by veterinary experts of the Member 
States and the Commission in the exporting non-
member countries; 
Whereas the inspections and controls provided for in 
Directive 64/433/EEC are at present financed in 
different ways in the individual Member States; 
whereas these differences are liable to affect the 
conditions of competition between lines of production 
which are for the most part covered by common 
organizations of the markets; 
Whereas, in order to remedy this situation, 
harmonized rules on the financing of the said 
inspections and controls should be laid down; 
(') OJ No 121, 29. 7. 1964, p. 2012/64. 
O OJ No L 59, 5. 3. 1983, p. 10. 
O OJ No L 302, 31. 12. 1972, p. 28. 
(4) OJ No L 59, 5. 3. 1983, p. 34. Whereas responsibility for the inspections and 
controls lies with the public authorities; whereas, 
however, it should be laid down that the person on 
whose account the animal is slaughtered should be 
charged a contribution towards the cost of these 
inspections and controls; whereas the said contri­
bution must replace all charges made in the Member 
States except those arising in certain special circum­
stances; 
Whereas Directive 64/433/EEC relates only to fresh 
meat likely to be involved in intra-Community trade; 
whereas, however, the authorities of the Member 
States have introduced national controls for fresh 
meat intended solely for the national market; 
Whereas the same principles must be applied to the 
financing of these national controls; whereas, 
however, the contribution charged should not exceed 
the actual cost of the relevant inspections and 
controls; 
Whereas, in the case of meat imported from non-
member countries, the principle of charging a contri­
bution towards the cost of inspections and controls 
must also be laid down; whereas the size of the 
contribution charged must be equal to the costs of 
inspections referred to in Article 5 (4), Article 23 (4) 
and Article 26 of Directive 72/462/EEC, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
For the purpose of participating in the financing of 
health inspections and controls of fresh meat of 
domestic bovine animals, swine, sheep, goats and 
solipeds, Member States shall collect or order the 
collection of a contribution fixed in accordance with 
the principles and procedure laid down in Article 3 
and payable upon the slaughter of those animals on 
their territory and upon importation of such meat 
from non-member countries. This contribution shall 
be borne by the person on whose account the animal 
is slaughtered or the meat is imported. 
28.6.84 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 168/5 
Article 2 
The contribution shall replace all charges payable in 
the Member States in connection with health 
inspection and control of the fresh meat referred to in 
Article 1, with the exception of the charges provided 
for: 
— where slaughter or destruction is ordered by the 
inspection departments, and in particular the 
charges referred to in Article 26 of Directive 
72/462/EEC, 
— in respect of inspection of fresh meat intended for 
export to non-member countries, which entails 
additional costs, 
— where tests for residues are positive, 
— where additional services are performed at the 
request of the party concerned, 
— in Article 26 of Directive 72/462/EEC in the case 
of storage of meat. 
Article 3 
1. The Council, acting on a proposal from the 
Commission, shall decide by a qualified majority on 
the level of the contribution and on detailed rules for 
its application. 2. As regards the contribution payable in respect of 
meat referred to in Article 1 but not eligible for intra-
Community trade, Member States are hereby auth­
orized to alter its level in order to take account of the 
actual cost of the inspections and controls carried out. 
3. The contribution payable on meat imported 
from non-member countries shall be equal on a 
standard basis to the costs referred to in Article 5 (4), 
Article 23 (4) and Article 26 of Directive 72/462/ 
EEC. 
Article 4 
Member States shall ensure that adequate health 
inspection and control measures are taken by 
allocating to that end resources at least equivalent to 
the overall amount of the contributions. 
Article 5 
Member States shall bring into force the laws, regu­
lations and administrative provisions necessary to 
comply with this Directive not later than 1 January 
1986. They shall forthwith inform the Commission 
thereof. 
Article 6 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.