CELEX: 
Language: en
Date: 2020-02-14 00:00:00
Title: COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) …/… amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Salmonella in reptile meat

EUROPEAN
                      COMMISSION
                                              Brussels, 14.2.2020
                                              C(2020) 434 final
                  COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) …/…
                                  of 14.2.2020
   amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Salmonella in reptile meat
                           (Text with EEA relevance)
EN                                                                             EN
 ---pagebreak---                             COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) …/…
                                                  of 14.2.2020
       amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Salmonella in reptile meat
                                        (Text with EEA relevance)
   THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
   Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
   Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the
   Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs1, and in particular Article 4(4) thereof,
   Whereas:
   (1)   Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/20052 lays down the microbiological criteria
         for certain micro-organisms and the implementing rules to be complied with by food
         business operators in respect of the general and specific hygiene requirements referred
         to in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.
   (2)   In particular, Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 lays down food safety criteria which
         define the acceptability of a product or a batch of foodstuff applicable to products
         placed in the market. That Regulation does not provide for food safety criteria for
         reptile meat.
   (3)   The "European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic
         agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2016"3 published by the European Food Safety
         Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control states
         that human salmonellosis is the second most reported human food-borne illness in the
         Union with around 95 000 cases reported annually.
   (4)   In 2007, EFSA adopted a scientific opinion on public health risks involved in the
         human consumption of reptile meat4 according to which reptiles are well-known
         reservoirs for Salmonella species. The scientific opinion reviews farming practices and
         observes a documented high intestinal carrier rate in live crocodilians that is reflected
         in an equally high contamination rate in their fresh and frozen meat. The scientific
         opinion concludes that Salmonella is considered to be the most relevant bacterial
         hazard that may occur in reptile meat and it constitutes a significant public health risk.
   (5)   Production of reptile meat in the Union is limited, but according to data available in
         Eurostat's reference database for detailed statistics on international trade in goods
   1
         OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p.1.
   2
         Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for
         foodstuffs (OJ L 338, 22.12.2005, p. 1).
   3
         EFSA Journal 2017;15(12):5077.
   4
         EFSA Journal (2007) 578, 1-55.
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 ---pagebreak---            (Comext)5, imports from third countries of fresh, chilled or frozen meat and edible
           offal of reptiles have shown an upward trend over the last ten years with an increase of
           over 50% in the quantity imported during the period 2007-2017 and an average yearly
           import in the Union of nearly 100 tons.
   (6)     Considering the potential significant health risk posed by the possible presence of
           Salmonella in reptile meat, a food safety criterion should be laid down in Regulation
           (EC) No 2073/2005 for reptile meat. This food safety criterion should oblige food
           business operators to take measures at previous stages of reptile meat production
           contributing to the reduction of the presence of all serotypes of Salmonella with public
           health significance.
   (7)     The international standard EN/ISO 6579-1 is the horizontal method for the detection
           of Salmonella in food and animal feeding stuffs. Annex I to Regulation (EC) No
           2073/2005 provides for that standard to be the analytical reference method for
           Salmonella food safety criteria. It should, therefore, be laid down as the analytical
           reference method to verify the compliance of a Salmonella in reptile meat food safety
           criterion.
   (8)     Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 should therefore be amended accordingly.
   (9)     The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the
           Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
   HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
                                                     Article 1
   Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 is amended as follows:
   1.        In Article 2, the following point (q) is added:
             '(q)   'reptile meat' means reptile meat as laid down in point (16) of Article 2 of
                    Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625
             * Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/625 of 4 March 2019 supplementing
                    Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council with
                    regard to requirements for the entry into the Union of consignments of certain
                    animals and goods intended for human consumption (OJ L 131, 17.05.2019, p.
                    18)'
   2.        Annex I is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.
                                                     Article 2
   This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in
   the Official Journal of the European Union.
   5
           Combined nomenclature codes 0208 50 00 and 0210 93 00 as defined in Commission Implementing
           Regulation (EU) 2017/1925 amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff
           and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff (OJ L 282, 31.10.2017, p. 1).
EN                                                       2                                                 EN
 ---pagebreak---    This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
   Done at Brussels, 14.2.2020
                                                 For the Commission
                                                 The President
                                                 Ursula VON DER LEYEN
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 ---documentbreak---                       EUROPEAN
                      COMMISSION
                                             Brussels, 14.2.2020
                                             C(2020) 434 final
                                             ANNEX
                                   ANNEX
                                    to the
                  COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) …/…
   amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards Salmonella in reptile meat
EN                                                                             EN
 ---pagebreak---                                               ANNEX
   Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 is amended as follows:
   (1)     in Chapter 1, the following row 1.30 is added:
     Food         Micro-          Sampling         Limits     Analytical   Stage where the
   category   organisms/thei         plan                      reference   criterion applies
                 r toxins,        n        c     m      M       method
                metabolites
   "1.30      Salmonella        5        0      Not           EN     ISO Products placed on
   Reptile                                      detected in 6579-1       the market during
   meat                                         25 g                     their shelf-life"
   (2)     in Chapter 1, footnote 2 is replaced by the following:
           "(2) For points 1.1-1.24, 1.27a, 1.28-1.30 m = M."
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