2008/61/EC: Commission Decision of 17 January 2008 amending Annex II to Council Decision 79/542/EEC as regards the imports of bovine fresh meat from Brazil (notified under document number C(2008) 28) (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2008-01-17
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Brazil, beef, fresh meat, import, originating product

18.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 15/33

COMMISSION DECISION

of 17 January 2008

amending Annex II to Council Decision 79/542/EEC as regards the imports of bovine fresh meat
from Brazil

(notified under document number C(2008) 28)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2008/61/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

matured bovine meat
to the Community, which are
audited and inspected and for which full reports of
to the
audits
Commission.

and inspections

are made

available

Having regard to Council Directive 2002/99/EC of 16
December 2002 laying down the
animal health rules
governing the production, processing, distribution and intro-
human
duction
consumption (1), and in particular points (1) and (4) of Article
8 and Article 9(4) thereof,

products

animal

origin

for

of

of

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Council Decision 79/542/EEC of 21 December 1979
drawing up a list of third countries or parts of third
countries, and laying down animal and public health
and veterinary certification conditions, for importation
into the Community of certain live animals and their
fresh meat (2) provides that
those animals
and meat are to meet the requirements set out in the
appropriate model certificates drawn up under
that
Decision.

imports of

Since 2003, deficiencies with regards to Community
import requirements for bovine meat have been ident-
ified during Commission missions to Brazil. Some of
these deficiencies have been addressed by Brazil, but
recent Commission missions have nonetheless identified
instances of non-compliance with regard to
serious
and
holding
movement
their
previous commitments to take the appropriate corrective
measures.

identification
to respect

registration,
control

and a

animal

failure

by

basis

It is only possible to allow imports to continue on a
secure
and
strengthtening
surveillance of holdings from which animals eligible for
export to the Community are sourced and by establishing
a provisional list of such approved holdings drawn up by
Brazil, for which guarantees are provided that they fully
meet requirements for imports of fresh de-boned and

control

the

(1) OJ L 18, 23.1.2002, p. 11.
(2) OJ L 146, 14.6.1979, p. 15. Decision as

last amended by
Commission Decision 2007/736/EC (OJ L 296, 15.11.2007, p. 29).

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

The Commission services carry out inspections in the
framework of the Food and Veterinary Office operations
in third countries in order to verify that the European
Union import
listed
holdings.

requirements

are met

in the

The provisional
list of holdings may be reviewed after
informing the Commission in the light of the outcome of
these inspections. That list of approved holdings should
be made publicly available through the Commission inte-
grated computerised veterinary system Traces for infor-
mation purposes.

It is necessary to provide in the list of third countries
allowed to export fresh meat to the Community in Part 1
of Annex II to Decision 79/542/EEC that only fresh de-
boned and matured bovine meat obtained from animals
slaughtered after the date of entry into force of this
Decision may be
into the
accepted
the
Community, as only with regards to such meat
new requirements concerning approved holdings can be
guaranteed. At the same time it is opportune to correct
an error in that table.

import

for

The list of third countries in Part 1 of Annex II and the
certificate model ‘BOV’ in Part 2 of Annex II to Decision
79/542/EEC should therefore be amended accordingly.

In order to avoid disruption of trade, consignments of
fresh de-boned and matured bovine meat certified and
dispatched before the entry into force of this Decision
should be allowed for import into the Community for a
specified period.

The measures provided for
accordance with
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

in this Decision are in
Standing
the

opinion

the

of

L 15/34

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

18.1.2008

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

In the list of third countries laid down in Part 1 of Annex II to Decision 79/542/EEC, the line of the
territory ‘BR-Brazil’ is replaced by the following:

BR — Brazil

‘BR-0 Whole country

EQU

BR-1

Part of the State of Minas Gerais (except
regional delegations of Oliveira, Passos,
São Gonçalo de Sapucai, Setelagoas and
Bambuí);

State of Espíritu Santo;

State of Goias;

BOV A and H

1

31 January 2008

the

State of Mato Grosso

Part of
comprising the regional units of:
— Cuiaba (except for the municipalities of
San Antonio
Leverger, Nossa
de
Senhora do Livramento, Pocone and
Barão de Melgaço),

— Caceres (except for the municipality of

Caceres),

— Lucas do Rio Verde,
— Rondonopolis (except for the munici-

pality of Itiquiora),

— Barra do Garça,
— Barra do Burgres.

State of Rio Grande do Sul.

BR-2

State of Santa Catarina

BOV A and H

1

31 January 2008’

Article 2

In the ‘BOV’ veterinary certificate laid down in Part 2 of Annex II to Decision 79/542/EEC:

1. Section 10.3 is replaced by the following:

‘10.3 has been obtained from animals coming from holdings in which:

(a) None of the animals present therein have been vaccinated against [foot-and-mouth

disease or] (12) rinderpest, and

(5) either [(b) in these holdings, and in the holdings situated in their vicinity within 10 km, there
has been no case/outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest during the
previous 30 days,]

(5) (13) or [(b) there is no official restriction for animal health reasons and where,

in these
holdings and in the holdings situated in their vicinity within 25 km, there has
been no case/outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest during the previous
60 days, and,

(c)

they have remained for at least 40 days before direct dispatch to the slaugh-
terhouse;]

18.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 15/35

(5) (18)

[(d) animals have not been introduced from non-approved EC areas during the last

three months;

(e) animals are identified and registered in the national System of Identification and

Certification of Origin for bovine animals;

(f)

the holdings in question are listed as approved holdings, following a favourable
competent authorities' inspection and official report, in Traces (19) and inspections
are regularly carried out by the competent authorities to ensure that the relevant
requirements provided for in this Decision are respected;]

(5) (14) or [(b) there is no official restriction for animal health reasons and where,

in these
holdings and in the holdings situated in their vicinity within 10 km, there has
been no case/outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest during the previous
12 months, and;

(c)

they have remained for at least 40 days before direct dispatch to the slaugh-
terhouse;]’

2. After note (18) the following note (19) is added:

‘(19) The list of approved holdings provided by the competent authority is reviewed on a regular basis
and kept up to date by the competent authority. The Commission will ensure that this list of
approved holdings is made publicly available for information purposes through its integrated
computerised veterinary system (Traces).’

Article 3

Consignments of fresh de-boned and matured bovine meat for which veterinary certificates were issued in
accordance with Decision 79/542/EEC before the amendments introduced by the present Decision with an
issue date prior to 31 January 2008 and which were en route to the Community at that date may be
imported into the Community until 15 March 2008.

This Decision shall apply from 31 January 2008.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 5

Done at Brussels, 17 January 2008.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission