CELEX: 32004D0379
Language: en
Date: 2004-04-26 00:00:00
Title: 2004/379/EC:Commission Decision of 26 April 2004 amending Decision 2001/471/EC as regards bacteriological tests in certain meat establishments (Text with EEA relevance) [notified under document number C(2004) 1519]

30.4.2004        EN                  Official Journal of the European Union                L 144/1
                                     COMMISSION DECISION
                                              of 26 April 2004
      amending Decision 2001/471/EC as regards bacteriological tests in certain meat
                                               establishments
                           (notified under document number C(2004) 1519)
                                      (Text with EEA relevance)
                                                (2004/379/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 64/433/EEC of 26 June 1964 on health conditions for the
production and marketing of fresh meat1, and in particular Article 10(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)     Commission Decision 2001/471/EC2 obliges operators of meat establishments to
        conduct regular checks on the general hygiene conditions of production in their
        establishments.
(2)     That Decision lays down rules for the bacteriological testing of carcasses of cattle,
        swine, sheep, goats and horses. It provides that the results of the bacteriological tests
        are to be converted into daily log mean values in order to compare them to the limits it
        lays down.
1
        OJ 121, 29.7.1964, p. 2012/64. Directive as last amended by Directive 95/23/EC (OJ L 243,
        11.10.1995, p. 7).
2
        OJ L 165, 21.6.2001, p. 48.
 ---pagebreak--- L 144/2          EN              Official Journal of the European Union             30.4.2004
(3)     Member States are currently implementing two different methods of calculation to
        convert the test results into a log mean value, which results in different numerical
        values.
(4)     The implementation of bacteriological testing should be harmonised within the
        Community. The method of calculation for the conversion of the results of the
        bacteriological tests of meat set out in Decision 2001/471/EC should therefore be
        clarified.
(5)     Decision 2001/471/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(6)     The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the
        Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,
 ---pagebreak--- 30.4.2004       EN               Official Journal of the European Union    L 144/3
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
                                               Article 1
The Annex to Decision 2001/471/EC is amended in accordance with the Annex to this
Decision.
                                               Article 2
This Decision shall apply from 20 May 2004
                                               Article 3
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 26 April 2004.
                                                 For the Commission
                                                 David BYRNE
                                                 Member of the Commission
                                               _______
 ---pagebreak--- L 144/4          EN                Official Journal of the European Union                30.4.2004
                                                    ANNEX
Part 1 of the Annex to Decision 2001/471/EC is amended as follows:
1.       In the Section entitled ‘Applying microbiological criteria to excised-sample test results
         (Table 1)’, the first sentence is replaced by the following:
         ‘The daily mean of the log results should be allocated into one of three categories for
         process control verification: acceptable, marginal, and unacceptable.’
2.       Table 1 is replaced by the following:
         ‘Table 1
         Daily mean of the log values1 for marginal and unacceptable results for bacterial
         performance criteria for cattle, pig, sheep, goat and horse units (cfu/cm²) for samples
         taken by the destructive method.
                                                               Marginal range
                           Acceptable range                                     Unacceptable range(> M)
                                                               (> m but ≤ M)
                       Cattle/sheep                           Cattle/pig/sheep/     Cattle/pig/sheep/
                                             Pig
                        /goat/horse                               goat/horse            goat/horse
              Total
             viable                                             3,5 (pig: 4,0)
  Daily                     < 3,5           < 4,0                                         > 5,0
mean of      counts                                                  - 5,0
 the log     (TVC)
  values    Entero-                                             1,5 (pig: 2,0)            > 2,5
   for      bacteria-       < 1,5           < 2,0
               cae                                             - 2,5 (pig: 3,0)        (pig: > 3,0)
1
         The daily mean of the log values is calculated by first taking a log (log10) value of each
         individual test result and then calculating the arithmetical mean of these log values.’