NoC79/6 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.3.92
3.3.3.2.TheCommitteebelievesthatthe'manufac­
turer'stypedesignation'mustbeincludedin'essential
respects'toallowflexibilityforsmallermanufacturers
toobtainvehiclehomologation .3.3.3.AnnexXII
3.3.3.1.Article8makesspecialprovisionforvehicles
producedinsmallseries.TheCommitteeunderstands
thattheCommissionproposalsmeanthat'500units'
shouldbeinterpretedas'500unitsperMemberState
peryear'.
DoneatBrussels,29January1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)concerningmeasuresforthe
preventionofspecificzoonosesandofspecificzoonoticagentsinanimalsandproductsof
animalorigininordertopreventoutbreaksoffood-borneinfectionsandintoxications (])
(92/C79/03)
On15November1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon9January1992.TheRapporteurwas
MrProumens .
Atits293rdplenarysession(meetingof29January1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
TheCommitteeapprovestheCommissionproposal
subjecttothecommentsandquestionssetoutinthis
Opinion.1.2.Theycanbesubdividedintotwogroups:
—diseasesinrespectofwhichmeasureshavealready
beenadoptedatCommunitylevel,andnotification
bytheMemberStatesrequested,
—diseasesorinfectionswhicharenotyetsystemati­
callymonitored.
1.3.TheCommissionproposalisaimedatthree
kindsofproduct:
a)theanimalsthemselvesandeggsultimatelydestined
forhumanconsumption ;
b)foodstuffsofanimalorigin(animalorpoultrymeat)
andcheese;1.General
1.1.Thediseasesandinfectionstransmittedfrom
vertebrateanimalstoman,knownaszoonoses,are
listedinAnnexItotheproposal.However,notall
possiblezoonosesarelistedintheAnnexorreferredto
inthetextoftheproposal.
(!)OJNoC253,27.9.1991,p.13. c)finishedcompoundanimalfeedingstuffs .

30.3.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC79/7
1.4.AlthoughtheCommitteeapprovestheuseof
Article43asalegalbasisinrespectofproductsdefined
bya)aboveandalsothosedefinedbyb)whichhave
undergoneonlyinitialprocessing,ithasdoubtsasto
theuseofthisArticleinrespectof'cookedreadytoeat
products'[finalparagraphofAnnex2(III)(B)];Article
100Awouldbemoreappropriate .closelymonitortheeffectivenessofthesystemsetup
bytheRegulation .
2.8.TheCommission considershoweverthatthe
provisionsofArticle11,whichpermitrecourseto
approvednationallaboratories,willguaranteeeffec­
tiveness.
1.5.Itisimportanttostressthattheprovisionsof
Directive89/397/EEConthemonitoringoffoodstuffs
remaininfullforce,thecurrentproposalforaRegu­
lationmerelycontainingcomplementary measures
coveringspecificzoonoses.2.9.Samplesareallowedtobetakenbytheoperator
ofanestablishment .Butinthiscasewhoisresponsible
forthem?TheCommitteeurgestheCommissionto
makethisclearinArticle2(6).
3.CommentsontheAnnexes 1.6.Moreover,itwouldseemtogowithoutsaying
that,withrespecttocheese,theRegulationlayingdown
hygienerulesfordairyproductswillalsoremainin
force.
2.Specificcomments
2.1.TheCommitteewonderswhyArticle2doesnot
specifythatchecksshouldcoverturkeys,geeseorducks.3.1.TheCommitteestressesthatthereferenceto
tuberculosisinAnnex1shouldcoverhumanaswellas
bovinetuberculosis .Thewordingcouldbe'tuberculosis
anditsagents'.
3.2.ThemonitoringprovisionsoutlinedinAnnex2,
particularlythoseconcerningsoftcheeseandcooked
readytoeatproducts,shouldnotstopatthemanufac­
turingstage,butshouldbeextendedtocoverstorage,
transportanddistributionoftheseproducts,particu­
larlywherelisteriamonocytogenes isconcerned.
3.3.InordertostayinstepwithcertainMember
States,alevelofcontamination needstobeestablished
atwhichactionisrequiredtobetaken.Listeriais
presentinmostofthefoodproductsconcerned,but
oftenatanon-pathogenic level.Withdrawalofthe
productsisjustifiedonlyiftherelevantlevelofcontami­
nationisexceededandtheproductthusbecomesa
dangertohealth.2.2.TheprovisionsofArticle4appeartoconsistofa
seriesofadministrative stageswhichcouldconsiderably
slowapplicationofpracticalpreventionmeasures.
2.3.TheCommitteeconsidersthatthesecondpart
ofArticle4(2)isambiguousandcouldbeexpandedon
eitherintheExplanatoryMemorandum oroneofthe
recitals.
2.4.Article5(1)shouldspecifythetimingofcom­
munication (e.g.'inthecourseofthefirstthreemonths
oftheyear').3.4.TheFrenchtextofAnnex3(B)and(C)should
bealigned,withoneonlyofthetwoterms'fabriquant'
and'produisant'usedinbothBandC.
2.5.Thegroundsforexemptionfromsampling
[Art.7(4)]shouldbejustified.Thiscouldbedonein
theExplanatoryMemorandum orarecital.3.5.InAnnex3(111)(A)(1),(2)and(3)theverb'must'
shouldbeusedthroughout,replacing'should'in(2)(a)
and(b)and(3).
2.6.Article8shouldalsospecifytiming;thesame
wordingasabove('inthecourseofthefirstthree
monthsoftheyear')couldbeused.3.6.InAnnex3(III)(B)(2),concerningthenumberof
samplestobetaken,theCommitteewonderswhether
smallflocks,wherethenumberofsamplesrequiredis
disproportionately highinpercentagesterms,willbe
placedatadisadvantage .
3.7.Moreover,thesamplingrequirementsformanu­
facturedproductsshouldbespecifiedintermsofweight
inthestandardproceduresusedbyauthorizedlabora­
tories,asproductionunitscanvarygreatlyandthe
interpretationofnon-meaningful datacouldthusdis­
torttheresults.2.7.TheCommitteewonderswhetherthelabora­
toriesreferredtoinArticle10andlistedinAnnex5
willnotbeoverloaded .Thereareonlysixforthewhole
Community ,witheachspecializinginonezoonosis.
Recoursetonationallaboratoriesseems,however,to
betheapproachadopted.
2.7.1.TheStandingVeterinaryCommitteeshould

NoC79/8 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.3.92
nationoffarmers,theiremployeesandfamilieson
farmswherethereisanoutbreakofzoonoses.4.Specificcomment
4.1.TheCommitteereiteratesitsinsistencethat
thereshouldbeCommunityrulesgoverningcontami­
DoneatBrussels,29January1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)introducingCommunityMeasures
fortheControlofAvianInfluenza(*)
(92/C79/04)
TheCouncildecidedon24September1991,inaccordancewithArticle198oftheEEC
Treaty,toasktheEconomicandSocialCommitteeforanOpinionontheabovementioned
proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforthepreparatorywork,
adopteditsOpinionon9January1992.TheRapporteurwasMrProumens.
Atits293rdplenarysession(meetingof29January1992),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedunanimouslythefollowingOpinion.
—surveillanceandprohibitionofmovementstoor
fromsuspectedholdings,
—destructionofthecarcasesofinfectedpoultry,
—establishmentofprotectionandsurveillancezones,
—setting-upoflaboratoriestoprovidetechnicalassist­
anceforthecorrectimplementation ofmeasures,
—notificationoftheCommission aboutvaccination
programmes ,
—preparationofcontingencyplans.
1.4.Itshouldbenotedthattheproposedregulation
willhaveanessentiallyeconomicimpact,sincethe
rearingofpoultryisamajorsourceofincomefor
farmers.TheCommitteeapprovesthepresentproposal,the
basicaimofwhichistostampoutavianinfluenza.
However,whileallofthemeasuresproposedarein
keepingwiththisaim,someofthemoughttobeeither
revisedoramplified.
1.General
1.1.Avianinfluenzaisadiseaseofbirdscausedby
aninfluenzaviruswhichcanbeharbouredbycertain
migratorywildfowl.
1.2.Thediseaseiseradicatedorpreventedfrom
spreadingbysystematicallyslaughteringpoultryand
destroyingtheireggsassoonasitappears.
1.3.Thesedrasticstepsarebackedupbyadditional
measures :
—investigationwhereinfectionissuspected,2.Generalcomments
2.1.Accordingtotheinformationsuppliedbythe
Commission ,avianinfluenzawaslastreportedinthe OOJNoC231,5.9.1991,p.4.