Amendments to Regulation (EC) No 854/2004
Article 2
Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 is amended as follows: (1) in Chapter III of Section I, point 7 is deleted; (2) in Chapter I of Section III, point 2 is replaced by the following: ‘2. in relation to ante-mortem inspection and checks concerning the welfare of animals, official auxiliaries may only help with purely practical tasks which may include a preselection of animals with abnormalities;’; (3) in Part B of Chapter IV of Section IV, points 1 and 2 are replaced by the following: ‘1. Carcases and offal of pigs are to undergo the following post-mortem inspection procedures: (a) visual inspection of the head and throat; visual inspection of the mouth, fauces and tongue; (b) visual inspection of the lungs, trachea and oesophagus; (c) visual inspection of the pericardium and heart; (d) visual inspection of the diaphragm; (e) visual inspection of the liver and the hepatic and pancreatic lymph nodes, ( Lnn. portales ); (f) visual inspection of the gastro-intestinal tract, the mesentery, the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes ( Lnn. gastrici, mesenterici, craniales and caudales ); (g) visual inspection of the spleen; (h) visual inspection of the kidneys; (i) visual inspection of the pleura and peritoneum; (j) visual inspection of the genital organs (except for the penis, if already discarded); (k) visual inspection of the udder and its lymph nodes ( Lnn. supramammarii ); (l) visual inspection of the umbilical region and joints of young animals. 2. When the epidemiological or other data from the holding of provenance of the animals, the food chain information or the findings of ante-mortem inspection and/or post-mortem visual detection of relevant abnormalities indicate possible risks to public health, animal health or animal welfare, the carcases and offal of pigs are to undergo additional post-mortem procedures using incision and palpation. Depending on the identified risks these procedures may include: (a) incision and examination of the submaxillary lymph nodes ( Lnn. mandibulares ); (b) palpation of the lungs and the bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes ( Lnn. bifucationes, eparteriales and mediastinales ). The trachea and the main branches of the bronchi must be opened lengthwise and the lungs must be incised in their posterior third, perpendicular to their main axes; those incisions are not necessary where the lungs are excluded from human consumption; (c) incision of the heart lengthwise so as to open the ventricles and cut through the interventricular septum; (d) palpation of the liver and its lymph nodes; (e) palpation and, if necessary, incision of the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes; (f) palpation of the spleen; (g) incision of the kidneys and the renal lymph nodes ( Lnn. renales ); (h) incision of the supramammary lymph nodes; (i) palpation of the umbilical region and joints of young animals and, if necessary incision of the umbilical region and opening of the joints.’; (4) in Chapter IX of Section IV, the following part G is added: ‘G. Salmonella 1. Without prejudice to the first paragraph of Article 1 to Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 ( *2 ) , the competent authority shall verify the correct implementation by food business operators of the point 2.1.4 (process hygiene criterion for Salmonella on pig carcases) of Annex I to that Regulation by applying the following measures: (a) official sampling using the same method and sampling area as food business operators. At least 49 ( *3 ) random samples shall be taken in each slaughterhouse each year. This number of samples may be reduced in small slaughterhouses based on a risk evaluation; and/or (b) collecting all information on the total number and the number of Salmonella positive samples taken by food business operators in accordance with Article 5(5) of Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005, within the frame of point 2.1.4 of Annex I thereof; and/or (c) collecting all information on the total number and the number of Salmonella positive samples taken within the frame of national control programmes in Member States or regions of Member States for which special guarantees have been approved in accordance with Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 as regards pork production; 2. If the process hygiene criterion is not complied with at several occasions, the competent authority shall require an action plan from the food business operator concerned and strictly supervise its outcome. 3. The total number and the number of Salmonella positive samples, differentiating between samples taken under 1(a), (b) and (c), when applied, shall be reported in accordance with Article 9(1) of Directive 2003/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( *4 ) . ( *2 ) OJ L 338, 22.12.2005, p. 1 ." ( *3 ) If all negative, 95 % statistical certainty is provided that the prevalence is below 6 %." ( *4 ) OJ L 325, 12.12.2003, p. 31 .’ "