Commission Regulation (EC) No 283/2001 of 9 February 2001 amending Regulation (EC) No 562/2000 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 as regards the buying-in of beef, and Regulation (EC) No 2734/2000
Date: 2001-02-09
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: animal disease, award of contract, beef, carcase, intervention buying, labelling

L 41/22

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10.2.2001

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 283/2001

of 9 February 2001

amending Regulation (EC) No 562/2000 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council
Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 as regards the buying-in of beef, and Regulation (EC) No 2734/2000

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 of 17
May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in beef
and veal (1), and in particular Article 47(8) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2734/2000 of 14
December 2000 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1627/
89 on the buying-in of beef by invitation to tender and
derogating from or amending Regulation (EC) No 562/
2000 laying down detailed rules for the application of
Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 as regards the
buying-in of beef (2), as amended by Regulation (EC) No
3/2001 (3), introduces a number of amendments to or
derogations from Commission Regulation (EC) No 562/
2000 (4)
to address the exceptional situation on the
market resulting from recent events relating to bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

In view of
this exceptional market situation and to
improve the effectiveness of the intervention measures
provided for in Regulation (EC) No 2734/2000, Article
4(2)(g) of Regulation (EC) No 562/2000 should be dero-
gated from as regards the maximum weight of carcases
by not setting any weight limit for the two invitations to
tender in February 2001 and by increasing the weight to
430 kg for the remaining invitations to tender in the
first quarter of 2001, while still allowing the purchase of
heavier animals but at a purchase price equal to the
maximum authorised weight.

Regulation (EC) No 2734/2000 should therefore be
amended.

Since products bought
in can also be sold after 1
January 2002, when the system of compulsory labelling
based on origin laid down by Regulation (EC) No 1760/
2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of
17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identification
and registration of bovine animals and regarding the
labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Regula-
tion (EC) No 820/97 (5) will apply, the labels of products

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 21.
(2) OJ L 316, 15.12.2000, p. 45.
(3) OJ L 1, 4.1.2001, p. 6.
(4) OJ L 68, 16.3.2000, p. 22.
(5) OJ L 204, 11.8.2000, p. 1.

to

for

pursuant

intervention

intended
contracts
concluded on or after 12 February 2001 (i.e. with effect
invitation to tender in the month of
from the first
February) should be required to include an indication of
the country or countries of birth and fattening of the
animals concerned, in accordance with Article 13(5) of
Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000, together with the indi-
cations laid down in Article 2(2) of Commission Regula-
tion (EC) No 1825/2000 (6) laying down detailed rules
for the application of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000, as
appropriate.

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 562/2000 sets out the
provisions applying to carcases, half-carcases and quar-
ters that can be bought in. With a view to falling into
line with current commercial practice, the description of
the half-carcase in that Annex should be amended by
introducing some margin of tolerance in the description.

Regulation (EC) No 562/2000 should be amended
accordingly.

In view of the way the situation is developing, this
Regulation should enter into force immediately.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Beef and Veal,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No 2734/2000 is replaced by
the following:

‘1.
Notwithstanding Article 4(2)(g) of Regulation (EC) No
562/2000, the maximum carcase weight referred to in that
Article shall be 430 kg. However:

— no maximum carcase limit shall apply to the two invita-

tions to tender in February 2001,

— for the remaining invitations to tender in the first
quarter of 2001, carcases of a weight greater than
430 kg may be bought in but the purchase price for
them shall be that for this maximum weight.’

(6) OJ L 216, 26.8.2000, p. 8.

10.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 41/23

Article 2

2. Point 2(b) of Annex III is replaced by the following:

Regulation (EC) No 562/2000 is amended as follows:

1. Article 4(3)(d) is replaced by the following:

‘(d) labelled in accordance with the system introduced by
European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No
1760/2000 (*) and including, in the case of contracts
concluded on or after 12 February 2001, the indica-
tions laid down in Article 13(5) of that Regulation.

(*) OJ L 204, 11.8.2000, p. 1.’

the cervical, dorsal,

‘(b) half-carcase: the product obtained by separating the
carcase as referred to in (a) symmetrically through the
middle of
lumbar and sacral
vertebrae and through the middle of the sternum and
the ischiopubic symphysis. During carcase processing,
the dorsal and lumbar vertebrae must not be seri-
ously dislocated; associated muscles and tendons must
not show any serious damage from saws or knives.’

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of
its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member
States.

Done at Brussels, 9 February 2001.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission