2003/477/EC: Commission Decision of 24 June 2003 amending Decision 2002/251/EC to revoke the protective measures with regard to the fishery and aquaculture products imported from Thailand (Text with EEA relevance) (notified under document number C(2003) 425)
Date: 2003-06-24
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Thailand, aquaculture, fishery product, health certificate, health control, human nutrition, poultrymeat, public health

27.6.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 158/61

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 24 June 2003

amending Decision 2002/251/EC to revoke the protective measures with regard to the fishery and
aquaculture products imported from Thailand

(notified under document number C(2003) 425)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2003/477/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of
the
European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002
laying down the general principles and requirements of food
law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and
laying down procedures in matters of food safety (1), and in
particular Article 53(1) thereof,

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 (2), and in particular Article 22(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Commission Decision 2002/251/EC of 27 March 2002
concerning certain protective measures with regard to
aquaculture
poultrymeat
certain fishery
products
consumption and
imported from Thailand (3) was adopted because of the
presence of nitrofurans in poultrymeat and shrimps
imported from Thailand.

and
intended

human

and

for

Decision 2002/251/EC provides that it will be reviewed
on the basis of the guarantees provided by the Thailand
competent authority and on the basis of the results of
the tests carried out by Member States.

The results of the checks carried out by Member States
in shimps imported from Thailand have been favourable.
The competent authority of Thailand has provided the
appropriate guarantees. In particular they have guaran-
teed that all the consignments certified by the competent
authority after the date of 21 September 2002 are
submitted to a systematic pre-shipment check to control

the presence of nitrofurans and their metabolites. Only
consignments which are free of such substances are
authorised for export to the Community. Therefore, the
systematic checks imposed by Decision 2002/251/EC to
all the consingments of shrimps should be revoked for
consingments certified by the Thai authority after the
date of 21 September 2002 as having been submitted to
a systematic pre-shipment check.

(4)

(5)

Decision 2002/251/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accor-
dance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on
the Food Chain and Animal Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Article 2 paragraph 1 of Decision 2002/251/EC is replaced by
the following:

‘1. Member States shall, using appropriate sampling
plans and detection methods, subject each consingment of
poultrymeat imported from Thailand, and each consing-
ment of shrimps imported from Thailand and accompanied
by a health certificate issued before the date of 21
September 2002, to a chemical test in order to ensure that
the products concerned do not present a danger to human
health. This test must be carried out, in particular, with a
view to detecting the presence of antimicrobial substances
and in particular nitrofurans and their metabolites.’

(1) OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 9.
(3) OJ L 84, 28.3.2002, p. 77.

Article 2

This Decision shall apply from 30 June 2003.

L 158/62

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

27.6.2003

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 3

Done at Brussels, 24 June 2003.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission