No C 255/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 22.9. 84 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 64/433/EEC on health problems 
affecting intra-Community trade in fresh meat 
COM(84) 439 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 11 September 1984) 
(84/C 255/09) 
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 Parlia­
ment, Whereas the execution of microbiological control in 
slaughterhouses and cutting plants must be based on 
the use of harmonized microbiological methods in 
order to obtain reliable results; 
Whereas decisions laying down and, where necessary, 
amending the microbiological methods to be 
employed for microbiological control should be 
adopted in accordance with a procedure ensuring 
close cooperation between the Member Staates and 
the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas Council Directive 64/433/EEC (*), as last 
amended by Directive 83/90/EEC (2), lays down the 
hygiene conditions under which fresh meat must be 
produced in slaughterhouses and cutting plants; 
whereas that Directive provided for health inspections 
to be carried out; whereas microbiological analyses 
covering inter alia equipment, utensils and carcases 
constitute a means for achieving an objective 
assessment of the standard of hygiene; 
Whereas microbiological control provides the health 
inspection service with useful information; whereas 
this constitutes an effective means of checking and 
improving the standard of hygiene in establishments; 
whereas such control must provide the micro­
biological guideline within the meaning of Council 
Decision,.. ; whereas the veterinary inspection 
authority should therefore be granted the authority to 
make microbiological checks where it sees fit; 
whereas the microbiological examinations should be 
compulsory for checking the hygienic production of 
the meat produced in a particular way; 
(') OJ No 121, 29. 7. 1964, p. 2012/64. 
(2) OJ No L 59, 5. 3. 1983, p. 10. HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECHVE: 
Article 1 
Directive 64/433/EEC is hereby amended as follows: 
1. In Article 3 (3), 'the microbiological control 
provided for in Article 8 (3)' is added after 'when 
carrying out the supervision referred to in 
paragraph 1 (B) (d)'. 
2. In Article 8 the following paragraph is inserted: 
'3 (a) As part of the hygiene control of 
establishments the official veterinarian may, 
where he considers it necessary, have 
recourse to microbiological control in order 
to gather further information on which to 
base the assessment. 
Microbiological control may relate to: 
— the utensils, fittings and machinery, in 
order to determine the aerobic micro­
organism, enterobacteriaceae or coli-
forms and "faecal streptococci" count, 
— fresh meat, in order to determine, at all 
stages of the production line, the 
22.9.84 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 255/7 
aerobic micro-organism, enterobacter-
iaceae or coliform and "faecal 
streptococci" count; 
In the establishments producing minced 
meat, meat cut in a similar manner and 
mechanically recovered meat the above 
controls are compulsory. 
(b) The results of a microbiological exami­
nation must be assessed by comparing them 
with the results of previous checks. 
(c) The microbiological methods which may be 
employed for microbiological control and 
the sampling plan in the hygienic 
production of fresh meat shall be adopted 
not later than ... in accordance with the 
procedure laid down in Article 16, and may 
be amended in accordance with the same 
procedure to take account of scientific and 
technological progress. 
(d) The microbiological criteria concerning the 
control of the hygienic production of minced meat, meat cut in a similar manner 
and mechanically recovered meat shall be 
adopted not later than ... in accordance 
with the procedure laid down in Article 16, 
and may be amended in accordance with 
the same procedure to take account of 
scientific and technological progress. 
(e) The results of the microbiological control 
shall be recorded.' 
3. Paragraph 3 of Article 8 becomes paragraph 4. 
Article 2 
Member States shall bring into force the laws, regu­
lations and administrative provisions necessary to 
comply with this Directive on 1 July 1985. They shall 
forthwith inform the Commission thereof. 
Article 3 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.