No C 247/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 1. 10. 79 
ANNEX 
to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee 
The following amendment was rejected during the debate: 
Paragraph 1.5 
Delete last sentence which reads: 
'In doing this the Section assumes that the Council and Commission will attach particular importance 
to the report in view of the difficulties encountered in studying the Appendix.' 
Reason 
Reference to the 'report' is already made in the recitals to the 'opinion' and in the qualification in 
paragraph 1.1 and earlier in paragraph 1.5. The content of the report, if any, is customarily left to the 
discretion of the rapporteur who will normally exercise a degree of impartiality and include minority 
views on contentious issues. The report is not subject to debate or voting procedures and any emphasis on 
its contents or importance as compared with the relevant 'opinion' issued by the Committee would 
circumvent the Committee's established procedures. 
Voting 
For: 9; against: 56; abstentions: 3. 
Opinion on the: 
— Commission report to the Council on certain problems of hygiene involved in the process 
for chilling poultry carcasses by immersion in water 
— proposal for a Council Directive amending, in respect of chilling, Directive 71/118/EEC 
on health problems affecting trade in fresh poultrymeat 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European 
Communities No C 65 of 9 March 1979, page 5. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 23 February 1979 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic and 
Social Committee in accordance with Article 100 of the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 170th 
plenary session held in Brussels on 17 arid 18 July 1979. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 100 
thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council of the 
European Communities on 23 February 1979 for an 
opinion, Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 
20 February 1979 instructing the Section for Protection 
of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Affairs 
to draw up an opinion and a report on the matter, 
Having regard to the opinion issued by the Section for 
Protection of the Environment, Public Health and 
Consumer Affairs at its meeting held on 3 July 1979, 
1. 10. 79 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 247/17 
Having regard to the report submitted by the rapporteur, 
Mrs Strobel, 
Having regard to the discussions at its 170th plenary 
session held on 17 and 18 July (meeting of 17 July 
1979), 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously: 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Committee has noted the results of the 
survey carried out by the Commission into the specific 
conditions of hygiene under which the process which 
complies with the conditions laid down in points 28 (a) 
and (b) of Chapter V of Annex 1 to Directive 
71/118/EEC may be applied to carcasses which are 
neither immediately frozen nor deep-frozen: it was found 
that when stored at 2°C there were no significant 
differences in keeping qualities or from the 
microbiological point of view between poultry carcasses 
chilled by the immersion process and those chilled by air. 
1.2. The Committee would, however, point out that 
all the existing regulations at national level and the draft Community Regulation on marketing standards mention 
a temperature of 4°C for fresh poultrymeat. The 
Committee, therefore, concludes that the survey 
conclusions would be unaffected by current practice in 
the trade. 
1.3. The Committee approves the Commission's 
proposal, subject to the inclusion in the Directive of a 
provision that the chilling process used has to be clearly 
indicated (i.e. 'chilled by air' or 'chilled by immersion in 
water'). 
1.4. In so far as Regulation (EEC) No 2967/76 does 
not lay down a maximum extraneous water content for 
fresh poultrymeat chilled by immersion in water, the 
Committee would like to see this fixed in this Directive. 
Furthermore, the consumer should be adequately 
informed of the true extraneous water content of such 
poultrymeat. 
1.5. These provisions are necessary in the interests 
both of competition in the poultry industry and to 
provide consumers with a guide as to the quality of the 
products. 
1.6. The Committee wonders whether the prescribed 
scalding temperature ceiling of 54 °C is necessary from a 
hygienic point of view and meaningful from a 
technological point of view. 
Done at Brussels, 17 July 1979. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Raffaele VANNI 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision adopting a second multiannual research and 
development programme for the European Economic Community in the field of textiles and 
clothing 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European 
Communities No C 111 of 4 May 1979, page 2. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 18 April 1979 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic and 
Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 170th 
plenary session held in Brussels on 17 and 18 July 1979. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: