2006/99/EC: Commission Decision of  3 February 2006  amending Decision 2004/370/EC authorising methods for grading pig carcases in the United Kingdom  (notified under document number C(2006) 213)
Date: 2006-02-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Northern Ireland, agricultural product nomenclature, carcase, measuring equipment, pigmeat, statistical method, swine

L 46/34

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

16.2.2006

COMMISSION DECISION

of 3 February 2006

amending Decision 2004/370/EC authorising methods for grading pig carcases in the United
Kingdom

(notified under document number C(2006) 213)

(Only the English text is authentic)

(2006/99/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

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:

By Commission Decision 2004/370/EC (2),
the use of
three methods for grading pig carcases in Northern
Ireland has been authorised.

Due to technical adaptations, the United Kingdom has
requested the Commission to authorise in Northern
Ireland the use of new formulae for two apparata used
for grading pig carcases and to authorise two new
methods for grading pig carcases, and has therefore
submitted the
required in Article 3 of
Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2967/85 of 24
October 1985 laying down detailed rules for the appli-
cation of
grading pig
carcases (3). As the apparatus ‘Fat-O-Meater’ has never
been used in Northern Ireland,
it should be deleted
from the scope of this Decision concerning Northern
Ireland.

the Community

elements

scale

for

Article 1

Decision 2004/370/EC is amended as follows:

1. Article 2 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 2

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

— the apparatus termed “Intrascope (Optical Probe)” and
assessment methods related thereto, details of which
are given in Part 1 of Annex II,

— the

apparatus

termed “Mark II Ulster Probe”

and
assessment methods related thereto, details of which
are given in Part 2 of Annex II,

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

— the apparatus termed “Fully automatic ultrasonic carcass
related

grading (Autofom)” and assessment methods
thereto, details of which are in Part 4 of Annex II.’

2. Annex II is amended in accordance with the Annex to this

Decision.

Article 2

The evaluation of
the
conditions for using the new formulae and the new
methods are fulfilled.

this request has revealed that

This Decision is addressed to the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland.

Decision 2004/370/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly.

Done at Brussels, 3 February 2006.

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

in this Decision are in
the Management

For the Commission

Mariann FISCHER BOEL
Member of the Commission

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(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 116, 22.4.2004, p. 32.
(3) 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).

16.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 46/35

ANNEX

Annex II to Decision 2004/370/EC is hereby amended as follows:

1. Point 3 of Part 1 (Intrascope (Optical Probe)) is replaced by the following:

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

= 71,4802 – 0,83659 x

where:

= the estimated lean meat percentage in the carcase,

x = the thickness of the backfat (including rind) in millimetres measured at 6 centimetres off the midline of the

carcase at the last rib (known as “P2”)

The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 50 and 140 kilograms.’

2. Point 3 of Part 2 (Mark II Ulster Probe) is replaced by the following:

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

= 71,4384 – 0,84119 x

where:

= the estimated lean meat percentage in the carcase,

x = the thickness of the backfat (including rind) in millimetres measured at 6 centimetres off the midline of the

carcase at the last rib (known as “P2”)

The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 50 and 140 kilograms.’

3. Part 3 is replaced by the following:

‘PART 3

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

2. The apparatus shall be equipped with a probe of 5,95 millimetres diameter (and of 6,3 millimetres at the blade of
the 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:

= 71,5278 – 0,86638 x

where:

= the estimated lean meat percentage in the carcase,

x = the thickness of the backfat (including rind) in millimetres measured at 6 centimetres off the midline of the

carcase at the last rib (known as “P2”)

The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 50 and 140 kilograms.’

L 46/36

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

16.2.2006

4. The following Part 4 is added:

‘PART 4

Fully automatic ultrasonic carcass grading (Autofom)

1. Pig carcase grading shall be carried out using the apparatus termed Autofom (Fully automatic ultrasonic carcass

grading).

2. The apparatus shall be equipped with 16 16,2 MHz ultrasonic transducers (Krautkrämer, SFK 2 NP), with an

operating distance between transducers of 25 mm.

The ultrasonic data shall comprise measurements of back-fat thickness and muscle thickness.

The results of the measurements are converted into estimated lean meat content using a computer.

3. The carcase's lean meat content shall be calculated on the basis of 127 measurement points using the following

formula:

= b0 + ip1b1 + ip2b2+ ip3b3+ ...... ip127b127.

where:

= the estimated lean meat content of the carcase,

ip1-ip127 = Input parameters of Autofom image analysis

b0-b127

= Constants from the model calibration

The 127 b-coefficients are, in order IP1-IP127:

– 1,6866978E-002
– 1,2928455E-002
– 2,7280254E-002
– 1,2976709E-002
– 1,6019909E-002

– 2,7395384E-002
– 7,2069578E-003
– 1,1866679E-002
– 1,9736953E-002
– 1,2085976E-002

– 1,9907279E-002

– 8,5862307E-003

– 1,7233329E-002

0,0000000E+000
– 1,6877903E-002

0,0000000E+000
– 2,0802582E-002

0,0000000E+000
– 3,3714309E-002
– 1,0441692E-002
– 1,2004912E-002

9,9210571E-003
– 2,2873893E-002
– 2,6023159E-002

4,9544591E-003

2,1012272E-003

3,5626963E-003

5,4210355E-003

2,8231265E-003

0,0000000E+000

3,4462682E-003

4,9613826E-003

3,1486694E-003

0,0000000E+000

3,3405393E-003

0,0000000E+000

0,0000000E+000

2,3835478E-003
– 2,1446949E-002
– 2,8594572E-002
– 2,9708274E-002
– 3,3039205E-002
– 2,3514079E-002
– 2,8660055E-002
– 3,1543616E-002
– 3,4327772E-002
– 2,5336761E-002
– 3,1328205E-002

0,0000000E+000

0,0000000E+000
– 1,9001560E-002
– 2,7283320E-002
– 3,2290529E-002
– 2,7472775E-002
– 2,8413385E-002
– 3,1162977E-002
– 3,4017213E-002
– 2,6048595E-002
– 3,1818397E-002

1,0592665E-003
– 2,3957171E-002
– 2,4741126E-002
– 2,7471537E-002
– 2,5577871E-002
– 3,0902216E-002
– 2,6122212E-002
– 3,2624107E-002
– 3,0734278E-002
– 3,3313580E-002
– 2,6499119E-002
– 2,7329659E-002

0,0000000E+000
– 1,6251475E-002
– 2,2376098E-002
– 3,2565221E-002
– 3,2280222E-002
– 2,9116826E-002
– 2,3694078E-002
– 3,2517981E-002
– 3,4127805E-002
– 3,3459395E-002
– 2,6947299E-002

0,0000000E+000

0,0000000E+000
– 1,6962735E-002
– 3,1170983E-002
– 3,1662315E-002
– 2,5646536E-002
– 2,7969513E-002
– 3,1576648E-002
– 3,4164313E-002
– 2,4075206E-002
– 2,7433341E-002

6,0837399E-003

6,8703182E-003

7,7951970E-003

8,3265398E-003

7,6311678E-003

6,6542262E-003

5,8027613E-003

8,4376512E-003

8,3114961E-003

8,2320096E-003

8,0569442E-003

7,7763004E-003

7,6648975E-003

7,3420489E-003

7,2652618E-003

7,1755257E-003

7,1458751E-003

7,1670651E-003

6,9467919E-003

7,0396927E-003

7,2869365E-003

5,7384889E-003

7,6241307E-003

7,3343012E-003

6,9868541E-003

6,6073379E-003

6,9390922E-003

6,3295597E-003

6,0446505E-003

1,0994689E-002

9,2938738E-003

4,4189114E-003

4,3836362E-003

4,6389205E-003

16.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 46/37

The b0-coefficient is 6,3457577E+001

4. Descriptions of the measurement points and the statistical method can be found in Part II of the United Kingdom

protocol forwarded to the Commission in accordance with Article 3(3) of Regulation (EEC) No 2967/85.
The formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 50 and 140 kilograms.’