2000/583/EC: Commission Decision of 27 September 2000 amending Decision 94/360/EC on the reduced frequency of physical checks of consignments of certain products to be imported from third countries, under Council Directive 90/675/EEC (notified under document number C(2000) 2735) (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2000-09-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: United States, animal product, health control, import, simplification of formalities, veterinary inspection

30.9.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 246/67

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 27 September 2000

amending Decision 94/360/EC on the reduced frequency of physical checks of consignments of
certain products to be imported from third countries, under Council Directive 90/675/EEC

(notified under document number C(2000) 2735)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2000/583/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 97/78/EC of 18 December
1997 laying down the principles governing the organisation of
veterinary checks on products entering the Community from
third countries (1). and in particular Article 10 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Directive 97/78/EC repealed and replaced Council
Directive 90/675/EEC (2), under which Commission
Decision 94/360/EG on the reduced frequency of phys-
ical checks on consignments of certain products to be
imported from third countries (3), was drawn up.

Following the discovery earlier of
traces of growth-
promoting xenobiotic hormones in meat imported from
the United States of America, Commission Decision
1999/302/EC (4) put
in place in enhaced system of
controls on all imports of fresh bovine meat and offal,
exlcuding bison meat and offal,
imported from that
country.

After the discovery of this residue finding, the authori-
ties in the United States of America reinforced their
hormone-free cattle programme in June 1999, but in the
face of further problems in this programme identified in
the course of a mission to the United States by the Food

(1) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 9.
(2) OJ L 373, 31.12.1990, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 158, 25.6.1994, p. 41.
(4) OJ L 117, 5.5.1999, p. 58.

and Veterinary Office of the Commission, the hormone-
suspended in July 1999 and
free programme was
relaunched later in September 1999,
in an enhanced
form as the non-hormone-treated cattle programme.

The additional controls put in place by Decision 1999/
302/EC have not resulted in a single positive sample
being identified during the intervening period and in
addition none of the testing carried out under the Euro-
pean Community additional
testing programme for
hormones, has shown any positive results.

It is considered but it is now appropriate to remove the
additional safeguard measures enacted in 1999 and to
reduce the frequency of checks on fresh meat imported
from the United States of America, from checks on all
consignments to checks on 20 % only of consignments,
which is equivalent
level of physical
checks for all fresh meat imported from third countries,
laid down in Decision 94/360/EC.

to the normal

It is important to make clear that all of the consign-
ments of fresh meat imported from the United States of
America that are subject to physical checks must still
undergo laboratory examination for the appropriate
hormone residues.

This Decision is a first
step towards phasing out
completely the obligation to test for hormones each
consignment
selected for physical checks, and the
Decision will be reviewed on the basis of future test
results.

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

L 246/68

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

30.9.2000

(8)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in
accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary
Committee,

trenbolone, zeranol, and stilbenes including diethylstil-
boestrol, and for abnormally high levels of residues of
the natural hormones 17-beta-oestradiol, progesterone
and testosterone,’

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

3. Article 1a(2) is deleted.

Decision 94/360/EC is amended as follows:

Article 1

1. In Article 1a(1), the first indent is deleted and replaced by

the following:
‘— the frequency of physical checks is 20 %,’

2. In Article 1a(1), the second indent is deleted and replaced

by the following:
‘— two official samples shall be taken from each consign-
ment tested, and subsequently examined for residues of
each of the xenobiotic hormones melengestrol acetate,

Article 2

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 27 September 2000.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission