Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1449 of 18 July 2025 amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning specific hygiene rules for emergency slaughter of domestic ungulates, for tuna frozen in brine and for highly refined products

• CELEX: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1449
• Articles: 3

Article 1

Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 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 .

However, point (2) of the Annex to this Regulation shall apply from 27 January 2026.

Schedules & Appendices

ANNEX

ANNEX

Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 is amended as follows:

(1)

in Section I, in Chapter VI, point 5 is replaced by the following:

‘5.

The food chain information required in accordance with Section III of Annex II must accompany the slaughtered animal to the slaughterhouse.’;

(2)

in Section VIII:

(a)

Chapter I is amended as follows:

(i)

Part I.C is replaced by the following:

‘C.

Requirements for freezer vessels

1.

Freezer vessels must:

(a)

have freezing equipment with sufficient capacity to freeze as quickly as possible in a continuous process and with a thermal arrest period as short as possible, so as to achieve a core temperature of not more than – 18 °C;

(b)

have refrigeration equipment with a sufficient capacity to maintain fishery products in the storage holds at not more than – 18 °C. Storage holds must not be used for freezing unless they fulfil the conditions laid down in (a) of this point and must be equipped with a temperature-recording device in a place where it can be easily read. The temperature sensor of the reader must be situated in the area where the temperature in the hold is the highest;

(c)

meet the requirements for vessels designed and equipped to preserve fishery products for more than 24 hours laid down in Part I.B, point 2.

2.

In addition to the requirements laid down in point 1 of this Part, freezer vessels that freeze tuna in brine as referred to in Part II, point 8, must be equipped with a system that:

(a)

continuously monitors in real-time and records the temperature of the brine on board using electronic means of temperature measurement;

(b)

allows real-time onshore monitoring of the temperature of the brine by the food business operator.

3.

The food business operators of freezer vessels that freeze tuna in brine as referred to in Part II, point 8, must give access, upon request, to the competent authorities to the data on the temperature of the brine collected through the system referred to in point 2(a) and (b) of this Part.

4.

The food business operators of freezer vessels that freeze tuna in brine as referred to in Part II, point 8, must set up a validation plan regarding the freezing capacity of the freezer vessels freezing tuna in brine, that must include the following:

(a)

coherent kinetic studies and a correlation curve between brine and core temperature, on the one hand, and the time and cooling periods as referred to in Part II, points 8(a) and (b), on the other hand; these studies and correlation curve must be based on the tuna temperature recorded by the instruments placed in sampled tunas as well as other criteria that the competent authorities may establish;

(b)

evidence that the temperature probes or sensors are certified in accordance with the relevant international temperature measurements standards.

5.

The competent authority must check the validation plan, and identify the freezing capacity, of freezer vessels that freeze tuna in brine as referred to in Part II, point 8, during the approval process of those freezer vessels in accordance with Article 4(3) of this Regulation or, in the case of freezer vessels flying the flag of a third country, when placing the freezer vessels on the list drawn up in accordance with Article 127(3), points (e)(ii) and (iii), of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.’;

(ii)

Part I.D, point 3 is replaced by the following: ‘Factory vessels that freeze fishery products must have equipment meeting the requirements for freezer vessels laid down in Part I.C, points 1(a) and 1(b).’;

(iii)

Part I.E is replaced by the following: ‘Reefer vessels transporting and/or storing frozen fishery products in bulk must have equipment meeting the requirements for freezer vessels laid down in point 1(b) of Part C concerning their capacity to maintain the temperature.’;

(iv)

in Part II, the following point 8 is added:

‘8.

Whole tuna (genus Thunnus and Katsuwonus) may be frozen in brine at – 18 °C at core in freezer vessels referred to in Section VIII, Chapter I, Part I.C, point 2 provided that the decrease in temperature is carried out in a continuous process, and subject to compliance with the following requirements:

(a)

where a direct freezing process in brine is carried out, its total duration to reach – 18 °C at core must not exceed 96 hours after the first capture of tuna has been placed in brine, and the tuna must reach a core temperature below 0 °C in less than 24 hours;

(b)

where a cooling process in cooled clean seawater is carried out before placing the tuna in brine, the temperature of the mixture of tuna and cooled clean seawater must reach 3 °C in less than 6 hours, and 0 °C in less than 16 hours; the total cooling process in cooled clean seawater must not exceed 72 hours after the first capture of tuna has been placed in the cooled clean seawater tank; once tuna is placed in brine, the total duration of the freezing process, from 0 °C to – 18 °C at core, must not exceed 72 hours;

(c)

food business operators must monitor the salt concentration of the brine and take appropriate action to maintain the salt concentration set out in their validation plan;

(d)

for verification purposes, the food business operators must continuously record the temperature of a sample of tuna through a temperature-measuring instrument inserted in the temperature-sensitive part of the fish that will freeze last.’;

(b)

in Chapter III, Part B, is replaced by the following: ‘Establishments on land that freeze or store frozen fishery products must have equipment, adapted to the activity carried out, that satisfies the requirements for freezer vessels laid down in Section VIII, Chapter I, Part I.C, points 1(a) and 1(b).’;

(3)

Section XVI is amended as follows:

(a)

in point (1), subpoint (h) is replaced by the following:

‘(h)

food additives of animal origin authorised in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( *1 ) ;

( *1 )   Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives ( OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16 , ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1333/oj ).’;"

(b)

point (2) is amended as following:

(i)

the following subpoint (4) is added to subpoint (c):

‘(4)

when derived from wool grease, a heat treatment at least at 135 °C for at least 90 minutes;’

(ii)

the following subpoint (d) is added:

‘(d)

insects.’.

( *1 )   Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives ( OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16 , ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1333/oj ).’;’