Commission Regulation (EC) No 1003/2005 of 30 June 2005 implementing Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 as regards a Community target for the reduction of the prevalence of certain salmonella serotypes in breeding flocks of Gallus gallus and amending Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003   (Text with EEA relevance)

1.7.2005 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 170/12
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1003/2005
of 30 June 2005
implementing Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 as regards a Community target for the reduction of the prevalence of certain salmonella serotypes in breeding flocks of Gallus gallus and amending Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 on the control of salmonella and other specified food-borne zoonotic agents (1) and, in particular Article 4(1) and Article 13 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) The purpose of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 is to ensure that proper and effective measures are taken to detect and control salmonella and other zoonotic agents at all relevant stages of production, processing and distribution, particularly at the level of primary production, in order to reduce their prevalence and the risk they pose to public health.
(2) Under that Regulation a Community target is to be established for the reduction of the prevalence of all salmonella serotypes with public health significance in breeding flocks of Gallus gallus at the level of primary production.
(3) Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 provides that the Community target is to include a numerical expression of the maximum percentage of epidemiological units remaining positive and/or the minimum percentage of reduction in the number of epidemiological units remaining positive, the maximum time-limit within which the target must be achieved and the definition of the testing schemes necessary to verify achievement of the target. It is also to include a definition, where relevant, of serotypes with public health significance.
(4) That Regulation also provides that for a transitional period of three years, the Community target for breeding flocks of Gallus gallus is to cover the five most frequent salmonella serotypes in human salmonellosis, which are to be identified on the basis of data collected through Community monitoring systems.
(5) The information from Community monitoring systems shows that the five most frequent salmonella serotypes in human salmonellosis are Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella hadar, Salmonella infantis, Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella virchow. The Community target established by this Regulation should therefore cover those serotypes.
(6) In order to set the Community target, comparable data on the prevalence of the concerned salmonella serotypes in breeding flocks of Gallus gallus in Member States should be available. The minimum requirements for control of salmonella in accordance with Council Directive 92/117/EEC (2) have been used as a basis for collecting the relevant data on prevalence in the Member States. Such information was collected during an appropriate period of time in all Member States in the year 2004.
(7) In order to verify achievement of the target and taking into account the relatively low prevalence of the relevant salmonella serotypes in breeding flocks of Gallus gallus in the Community, it is necessary to organise repeated sampling of a representative number of flocks of a sufficient size, which should be 250 birds or more, as was required under Directive 92/117/EEC.
(8) The testing scheme necessary to verify the achievement of the Community target is significantly different and likely to be more sensitive than the scheme that was used to collect comparable data in Member States pursuant to Directive 92/117/EEC. It is therefore necessary to provide for a review of the Community target after a maximum of one year of implementation of the corresponding national control programmes.
(9) Due to that period of collection of information, comparable data were not available in time before the establishment of the Community target within the date laid down in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 in relation to breeding flocks of Gallus gallus. The date of establishment of that target should therefore be extended with six months and Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 should be amended accordingly.
(10) The measures foreseen in Article 4(5) of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 for the establishment of the Community target in breeding flocks of Gallus gallus during the transitional period are based on the methodology for controlling salmonella already established pursuant to Directive 92/117/EEC, and the remaining aspects of the measures relate to risk management. The measures provided for in this Regulation have been prepared in a working group with the participation of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Without prejudice to the requirement to consult EFSA provided for in Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 on any matter that could have a significant impact on public health, a formal consultation of EFSA is not necessary at this stage.
(11) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,