2005/307/EC: Commission Decision of 12 April 2005 authorising a method for grading pig carcases in Latvia (notified under document number C(2005) 1098)
Date: 2005-04-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Latvia, agricultural product nomenclature, carcase, measuring equipment, statistical method, swine

L 98/42

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

16.4.2005

COMMISSION DECISION

of 12 April 2005

authorising a method for grading pig carcases in Latvia

(notified under document number C(2005) 1098)

(Only the Latvian text is authentic)

(2005/307/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

carcase. This should be taken into account in adjusting
the weight for standard presentation.

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:

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).

(5)

(6)

No modification of the apparatus or the grading method
may be
a new
authorised except by means of
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 apparatus termed ‘Intrascope (Optical Probe)’ and
assessment methods related thereto, details of which are given
in the Annex,
is hereby authorised for grading pig carcases
pursuant to Regulation (EEC) No 3220/84 in Latvia.

The Government of Latvia has requested the Commission
to authorise one method for grading pig carcases and has
submitted the results of its dissection trial which was
executed before the day of accession, by presenting
part two of the protocol provided for in Article 3 of
Regulation (EEC) No 2967/85.

Notwithstanding the standard presentation referred to in Article
2 of Regulation (EEC) No 3220/84, pig carcases may be
presented in Latvia without the head, the hind feet and the
In order to establish
tail before being weighed and graded.
quotations
the
recorded hot weight shall be increased by:

for pig carcases on a comparable basis,

Article 2

The evaluation of
conditions
fulfilled.

this request has revealed that

the
for authorising this grading method are

— 7,61 % for the missing head

— 1,61 % for the missing hind feet

— 0,11 % for the missing tail.

(4)

In Latvia commercial practice may require that the head,
the hind feet and the tail are removed from the pig

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

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

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

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

Article 3

Modifications of the apparatus or the assessment method shall
not be authorised.

(1)

(2)

(3)

16.4.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 98/43

This Decision is addressed to the Republic of Latvia.

Article 4

Done at Brussels, 12 April 2005.

For the Commission

Mariann FISCHER BOEL
Member of the Commission

ANNEX

METHODS FOR GRADING PIG CARCASES IN LATVIA

Intrascope (Optical Probe)

1. Grading of pig carcases shall be carried out by means of the apparatus termed ‘Intrascope (Optical Probe)’.

2. The apparatus shall be equipped with a hexagonal-shaped probe of a maximum width of 12 millimetres (and of 19
millimetres at the blade at the top of the probe) containing a viewing window and a light source, a sliding barrel
calibrated in millimetres, and having an operating distance of between 3 and 45 millimetres.

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

= 65,073 – 0,686X

Where:

= the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcase,

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

at the last rib.

The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 55 and 120 kilograms.