ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(78)320
Vol.1978/0119

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(78)320 final .
Brussels .11July 197°
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TOTHE COUNCIL
concerning theexamination fortrichinae inpigmeat
imported totheCommunity from non-member countries
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C014(78)320final .

communication fromtheCommissiontotheCouncilconcerningthe
examinationfortrichinaeinpigmeatimportedtotheCommunityfromnon-member j
countries
1.WhenadoptingDirective77/96/EECof21December1976ontheexaminationfor
trichinae (trichinellaspiralis)uponimportation fromthirdcountriesoffresh
meatderivedfromdomesticswine(OJNo.L26of31January1977)theCouncil
decidedtoenterthefollowingstatementintheminutesofitsmeetingon
20and21December1976:
"TheCouncilnotestheCommission'sintentiontocarryoutthenecessary
investigations withaviewtopresentingbefore31December1977areportand,
wherenecessary,proposalsconcerningtheregulations incertainnon-member
countriesrelatingtotrichinosis"."'
TheCommissionexpressedtheintentioncontainedintheabovestatementfol­
lowingcommentsmadebythedelegationofoneMemberStateduringtheexamin­
ationofthealpovementionedDirectivebythegroupofagricultural andvet­
erinaryexpertspriortoitsadoptionbytheCouncil.Thisdelegationraised
theproblemof-thepossibility ofexemptingnon-membercountriesundercertain
conditions,fromtheobligationprovidedforintheDirectivetosubmitall
pigmeattoanexamination fortrichinaeor,incertaincases,totreatmentby
freezing. .
2.Inordertostudythisproblem,theCommissionorganizedameetingon28April
1977oftheScientificVeterinaryCommitteewiththefollowingagenda:
"CouncilDirective77/96/EEC(OJNo.L26of31.1.1977)providesthatallfresh
•v « 'pigmeatfromnon-membercountriesmustbesubjectedtoacompulsoryexamination
fortrichinae (Article2>or,incertaincases,totreatmentbyfreezing
.(Article3)..
Thediscussionwilldealwiththefollowingpoints:
1.Canacountrybeconsideredfreefromtrichinosis andinwhatcircumstances ?

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2.Ifthereplytotheabovequestionisintheaffirmative bywhatcriteria
mayacountrybeconsideredfreefromtrichinosis ?
3.*Inview»-£*theanswersgiventothefirsttwoquestions,woulditbepos­
sibleundercertaincircumstances toexemptmeatexportedtotheCommunity
fromanon-member countryfromtheabove-mentioned obligation ?" •
Sincethediscussion onthevariouspointswasnotconcluded /,asecond
meetingwasheldon18January1978.Meanwhile,theproposalsfromthe
delegatesoftheUnitedKingdom,DenmarkandtheNetherlands,specifying
thecriteriaandcircumstances whichintheiropinionenabledacountryto
beconsideredfreefromtrichinosis,weredistributed totheotherdelegates.
Theopinionsexpressedatthemeetingon18January1978concerningthedifferent
itemsontheagends,canbesummarized asfollows:
1.FirstQuestion
a)Intheforminwhichitwasput,.Afchisquestionwasunanimously -answeredin
thenegative;giventhepresentstateofourknowledgeitisimpossible to
affirmthatacountryisfreefromtrichinosis . .
b)However,certaindelegations thoughtthat,given'adequateepidemiological
surveyscarriedoutbythepublichealthandveterinaryservices,itshould
bepossibletostate,thatacountry,whilenotbeingfreefromtrichinosis ,
inthestrictsense,hadsuchalowlevelofinfection -thatitdidnotre­
presentadangerforpublichealthandthatthemeasuresimposedbyCouncil
Directive 77/96/EECcouldtherefore,bemoderatedinrespectofit.
c)Otherdelegations consideredthatevenaniextremelylowleveloftrichinosis,
whichdidnotmanifestitselfbyanyclinicalsymptomseitherinmanor
animals,wouldnevertheless represent apotentialdangerforpublichealth
athatitwould,therefore,notbeappropriate torelaxtheprovisions
CouncilDirective 77/96/EEC.
2.S:ondQuestion
Twointerpretations weregiventotheexpression"consideredfreefrom
trichinosis".

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Somedelegations favouredastrictinterpretation oftheexpressiontomean'
thattheremustexistabsolutelynotrichinaeontheterritoryofthe
countryinquestion.Othersthoughtthattheexpressionshouldbeinter­
pretedmorepragmatically sothatinagivencountry,acertainlevelof
infection (percentageofsubjectswhowerecarriersoftheparasite)and
intensityofinfestation (numberofparasitespergrammeofdiaphragm
muscleinaninfestedanimal)couldexistprovidedthattheseweresuff­
icientlylowastopresentnodangertopublichealth.
Thesupportersoftheformerinterpretation wereledlogically ,togivea
negativereplytothesecondquestionraised,theiranswertothefirst
questionhavingbeencompletelynegative. '
Ontheotherhand,thesupportersofa,pragmaticinterpretation considered
thatcriteriaforlevelandintensityofinfestation couldbedefined,
makingitpossibletofixalimitbelowwhichacountrycouldbe-regarded
forpracticalpurposesasdisease-free . .
.3.ThirdQuestion
Hereagainopinionsweredivided:
a)Someconsideredthatonlyanexamination fortrichinaeusingoneofthe
methodslaiddownbytheEECinDirective77/96/EEC,carriedoutonall
pigsslaughtered forexportoftheirmeattotheEEC,orthecoldtreat­
mentdescribedinthatDirectivecouldprovideadequateguaranteeswith
regardtotheprotectionofpublichealthinEECcountries; ''
b)Otherswereoftheopinionthatequivalentguaranteescouldbe.obtainedif,
insteadofthemeasuresreferredtoina)above,verystrictperiodic
epidermimologi calsurveyswerecarriedout,thearrangements andcriteria
for'whichshouldbedefinedindetailbytheEEC,whichshouldalsomonitor
theconductofsuchsurveys..

TheCommission consideredthatatthisstage'thereshouldbenore­
laxationoftheobligation providedforinCouncilDirective 77/96/EEC
wherebyallpigmeatexportedtoaMemberStatefromanon-member country
shouldbesubjectedtoanexamination fortrichinaeor,incertaincases,
tocoldtreatment .
TheCommission wasoftheopinionthatthisobligation shouldbemaintained
inordertoensuretheprotection ofconsumerhealth.However,studiescould
usefullybecarriedouttodetermine whetheritwaspossibletorelaxthis
obligation withoutreducingtheguarantees providedbytheexistingprovisions .