2004/379/EC:Commission Decision of 26 April 2004 amending Decision 2001/471/EC as regards bacteriological tests in certain meat establishments (Text with EEA relevance) [notified under document number C(2004) 1519]
Date: 2004-04-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: approximation of laws, health control, health legislation, meat processing industry

30.4.2004

EN 

Official Journal of the European Union

L 144/1 

COMMISSION DECISION 

of 26 April 2004 

amending Decision 2001/471/EC as regards bacteriological tests in certain meat 
establishments 

(notified under document number C(2004) 1519) 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

(2004/379/EC) 

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 

Having regard to Council Directive 64/433/EEC of 26 June 1964 on health conditions for the 
production and marketing of fresh meat1, and in particular Article 10(2) thereof, 

Whereas: 

(1)

(2)

Commission  Decision  2001/471/EC2 obliges  operators  of  meat  establishments  to 
conduct  regular  checks  on  the  general  hygiene  conditions  of  production  in  their 
establishments. 

That  Decision  lays  down  rules  for  the  bacteriological  testing  of  carcasses  of  cattle, 
swine, sheep, goats and horses. It provides that the results of the bacteriological tests 
are to be converted into daily log mean values in order to compare them to the limits it 
lays down. 

1

2

OJ  121,  29.7.1964,  p.  2012/64.  Directive  as  last  amended  by  Directive  95/23/EC  (OJ  L  243, 
11.10.1995, p. 7). 
OJ L 165, 21.6.2001, p. 48. 

L 144/2

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Official Journal of the European Union

30.4.2004 

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

Member  States  are  currently  implementing  two  different  methods  of  calculation  to 
convert  the  test  results  into  a  log  mean  value,  which  results  in  different  numerical 
values.  

The  implementation  of  bacteriological  testing  should  be  harmonised  within  the 
Community.  The  method  of  calculation  for  the  conversion  of  the  results  of  the 
bacteriological  tests  of  meat  set  out  in  Decision  2001/471/EC  should  therefore  be 
clarified. 

Decision 2001/471/EC should therefore be amended accordingly. 

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

30.4.2004

EN 

Official Journal of the European Union

L 144/3 

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:  

Article 1 

The  Annex  to  Decision  2001/471/EC  is  amended  in  accordance  with  the  Annex  to  this 
Decision. 

This Decision shall apply from 20 May 2004 

Article 2 

Article 3 

This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 

Done at Brussels, 26 April 2004. 

For the Commission 
David BYRNE 
Member of the Commission 

_______ 

 
L 144/4

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Official Journal of the European Union

30.4.2004 

ANNEX  

Part 1 of the Annex to Decision 2001/471/EC is amended as follows: 

1. 

In the Section entitled ‘Applying microbiological criteria to excised-sample test results 
(Table 1)’, the first sentence is replaced by the following: 

‘The daily mean of the log results should be allocated into one of three categories for 
process control verification: acceptable, marginal, and unacceptable.’ 

2. 

Table 1 is replaced by the following: 

‘Table 1 

Daily  mean  of  the  log  values1 for  marginal  and  unacceptable  results  for  bacterial 
performance  criteria  for  cattle,  pig,  sheep,  goat  and  horse  units  (cfu/cm²)  for  samples 
taken by the destructive method. 

Acceptable range 

Cattle/sheep
/goat/horse 

Pig 

< 3,5 

< 4,0 

< 1,5 

< 2,0 

Total 
viable 
counts 
(TVC) 

Entero-
bacteria-
cae 

Marginal range 
(> m but ≤ M) 

Cattle/pig/sheep/ 
goat/horse 

3,5 (pig: 4,0) 

- 5,0 

1,5 (pig: 2,0) 

- 2,5 (pig: 3,0) 

Unacceptable range(> M) 

Cattle/pig/sheep/ 
goat/horse 

> 5,0 

> 2,5 

(pig: > 3,0) 

The daily mean of the log values is calculated by first taking a log (log10) value of each 
individual test result and then calculating the arithmetical mean of these log values.’

Daily 
mean of 
the log 
values 
for 

1