2005/1/EC: Commission Decision of 27 December 2004 authorising methods for grading pig carcases in the Czech Republic (notified by number C(2004) 2566)
Date: 2004-12-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Czechia, carcase, meat processing industry, statistical method, swine

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 27 December 2004

authorising methods for grading pig carcases in the Czech Republic

(notified by number C(2004) 2566)

(Only the Czech text is authentic)

(2005/1/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3220/84 of 13
November 1984 determining the Community scale for grading
pig carcases (1), and in particular Article 5(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Article 2(3) of Regulation (EEC) No 3220/84 provides
that the grading of pig carcases must be determined by
estimating the content of lean meat in accordance with
statistically proven assessment methods based on the
physical measurement of one or more anatomical parts
of the pig carcase; the authorisation of grading methods
is subject to compliance with a maximum tolerance for
statistical error in assessment; this tolerance was defined
in Article 3 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No
2967/85 of 24 October 1985 laying down detailed
rules for the application of the Community scale for
grading pig carcases (2).

The Government of the Czech Republic has requested the
Commission to authorise four methods for grading pig
carcases and has submitted the results of its dissection
trials which were executed before the day of accession,
by presenting part two of the protocol provided for in
Article 3 of Regulation (EEC) No 2967/85.

(3)

(4)

(5)

The evaluation of
the
conditions for authorising these grading methods are
fulfilled.

this request has revealed that

No modification of the apparata or grading methods may
be authorised except by means of a new Commission
Decision adopted in the light of experience gained; for
this reason, the present authorisation may be revoked.

The measures provided for
accordance with the opinion of
Committee for Pigmeat,

in this Decision are in
the Management

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The use of the following methods is hereby authorised for
grading pig
to Regulation (EEC) No
carcases pursuant
3220/84 in the Czech Republic:

— the grading method known as ‘Zwei-Punkte-Messverfahren
(ZP)’ and assessment methods related thereto, details of
which are given in Part 1 of the Annex,

— the apparatus termed ‘Fat-O-Meater (FOM)’ and assessment
methods related thereto, details of which are given in Part 2
of the Annex,

(1) OJ L 301, 20.11.1984, p. 1. Regulation last amended by Regulation

(EC) No 3513/93 (OJ L 320, 22.12.1993, p. 5).

(2) OJ L 285, 25.10.1985, p. 39. Regulation amended by Regulation

(EC) No 3127/94 (OJ L 330, 21.12.1994, p. 43).

— the apparatus termed ‘Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP 4)’ and
assessment methods related thereto, details of which are
given in Part 3 of the Annex,

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— the apparatus termed ‘Ultra FOM 300’ and assessment
methods related thereto, details of which are given in Part
4 of the Annex.

Article 2

Modifications of the apparata or the assessment methods shall
not be authorised.

The grading method ‘Zwei-Punkte-Messverfahren (ZP)’ may be
applied only in slaughterhouses which do not exceed a weekly
slaughtering of 200 pigs.

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Czech Republic.

As regards the apparatus ‘Ultra FOM 300’ it is laid down that
after the end of the measurement procedure it must be possible
to verify on the carcase that the apparatus measured the values
of measurement P2 on the site provided for in the Annex, Part
4, point 3. The corresponding marking of the measurement site
must be made at the same time as the measurement procedure.

Done at Brussels, 27 December 2004.

For the Commission

Mariann FISCHER BOEL
Member of the Commission

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ANNEX

Methods for grading pig carcases in the Czech Republic

PART 1

1.

2.

1.

2.

Zwei-Punkte-Messverfahren (ZP)
Grading of pig carcases shall be carried out by use of the method termed ‘Zwei-Punkte-Messverfahren (ZP)’.

The lean meat content of the carcase shall be calculated according to the following formula:

ý = 49,62542 – 0,63371 S (ZP) + 0,23525 M (ZP)

where:

ý

= the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcase,

S (ZP) = thickness of fat (including rind), measured by a slide rule in the point where the musculus gluteus medius

(m.g.m.) is the most convex (mm),

M (ZP) = thickness of muscle measured by a slide rule at the shortest connection between the cranial end of the

m.g.m. and the dorsal edge of the vertebral canal.

The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 60 and 120 kilograms.

PART 2

Fat-O-Meater (FOM)

Grading of pig carcases shall be carried out by means of the apparatus termed ‘Fat-O-Meater (FOM)’.

The apparatus shall be equipped with a probe of six millimetres diameter containing a photodiode of the Siemens
SFH 950/960 type and having an operating distance of between 3 and 103 millimetres. The results of the
measurements are converted into estimated lean meat content by means of a computer.

3.

The lean meat content of the carcase shall be calculated according to the following formula:

ý = 59,86131 – 0,72930 S (FOM) + 0,12853 M (FOM)

where:

ý

= the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcase,

S (FOM) = the thickness of back-fat (including rind) in millimetres, measured at 6,5 centimetres off the midline of

the carcase, between the second and third last rib,

M (FOM) = the thickness of muscle in millimetres, measured at the same time and in the same place as S (FOM).

The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 60 and 120 kilograms.

PART 3

Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP 4)

1.

2.

Grading of pig carcases shall be carried out by means of the apparatus termed ‘Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP 4)’.

The apparatus shall be equipped with a probe of 5,95 millimetres diameter (and of 6,3 millimetres at the blade on
top of the probe) containing a photodiode (Siemens LED of the type LYU 260-EO) and photodetector of the type
58 MR and having an operating distance of between 0 and 120 millimetres. The results of the measurements shall
be converted into estimated lean meat content by means of the HGP 4 itself or a computer linked to it.

3.

The lean meat content of the carcase shall be calculated according to the following formula:

ý = 61,34154 – 0,81609 S (HGP) + 0,12901 M (HGP)

where:

ý

= the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcase,

S (HGP) = the thickness of back-fat (including rind) in millimetres, measured at 7,5 centimetres off the midline of

the carcase, between the second and third last rib,

M (HGP) = the thickness of muscle in millimetres, measured at the same time and in the same place as S (HGP).

The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 60 and 120 kilograms.

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PART 4

ULTRA-FOM 300

1.

2.

Grading of pig carcases shall be carried out by means of the apparatus termed ‘Ultra-FOM 300’.

The apparatus shall be equipped with an ultrasonic probe at 3,5 MHz. The ultrasonic signal is digitised, stored and
processed by a microprocessor.

The results of the measurements shall be converted into estimated lean meat content by means of the Ultra-FOM
apparatus itself.

3.

The lean meat content of the carcase shall be calculated according to the following formula:

ý = 64,64865 – 0,76656 S (UFOM) + 0,06425 M (UFOM)

where:

ý

= the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcase,

S (UFOM) = the thickness of back-fat (including rind) in millimetres, measured at 7 centimetres off the midline of

the carcase between the second and third last rib (measurement known as ‘P2

’),

M (UFOM) = the thickness of muscle in millimetres, measured at the same time and in the same place as S (UFOM).

The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 60 and 120 kilograms.