Commission Decision

of 6 December 1999

repealing Decision 1999/356/EC and imposing special conditions on the import of peanuts and certain products derived from peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt

(notified under document number C(1999) 4232)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2000/49/EC) (repealed)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 93/43/EEC of 14 June 1993 on the hygiene of foodstuffs(1), and in particular Article 10(1) thereof,

After consulting the Member States,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Decision 1999/356/EC of 28 May 1999 on the temporary suspension of imports of peanuts and certain products derived from peanuts originating in, or consigned from Egypt(2) is applicable until 1 December 1999 and should be repealed;

(2) Peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt had been found to be contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 at high levels. Sampling indicated a serious and recurring aflatoxin contamination of peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt;

(3) The Scientific Committee for Food has noted that aflatoxins, in particular Aflatoxin B1, are carcinogenic substances and even at low doses, cause cancer of the liver and in addition are genotoxic;

(4) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1525/98(3) amending Regulation (EC) No 194/97 sets maximum levels for certain contaminants and in particular aflatoxins in foodstuffs. These limits have been exceeded to an excessive amount in samples of peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt. The limits for Aflatoxin B1 in ground nuts which are intended for direct consumption, and those which may be sorted or subject to further processing, are set in this Regulation at two and eight parts per billion (ppb) respectively. Contamination of Aflatoxin B1 at levels as high as 485 ppb have been detected in peanuts from Egypt;

(5) Egypt is a major exporter of peanuts to the Community and the exposure of the population to peanuts or peanut products contaminated with aflatoxin constitutes a serious threat to public health within the Community;

(6) An examination of conditions of hygiene in Egypt has been undertaken and revealed that improvements in hygiene practices and the traceability of peanuts are required. Commitments have been received from the Egyptian authorities in particular in relation to improvements in production, handling, sorting, processing, packaging and transport practices. It is therefore appropriate to subject peanuts or products derived from peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt to special conditions to provide a high level of protection to public health;

(7) It is necessary that peanuts and products derived from peanuts have been produced, sorted, handled, processed, packaged and transported following good hygienic practices. It is necessary to establish the levels of Aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin in samples taken from the consignment immediately prior to leaving Egypt;

(8) It is necessary for documentary evidence to be provided by the Egyptian authorities to accompany each consignment of peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt, relating to the conditions of production, sorting, handling, processing, packaging and transport and the results of laboratory analysis of the consignment for levels of Aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin;

(9) It is necessary to submit for analyses at the port of entry into the Community in a systematic manner, lots of peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt in order to determine the levels of contamination of peanuts of Aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1U.K.

1.Member States may import:

originating in or consigned from Egypt which are intended for human consumption or to be used as an ingredient in foodstuffs, provided that each consignment is accompanied by the results of official sampling and analysis, and the health certificate in Annex I, completed, signed and verified by a representative of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture.

2.Consignments may only be imported into the Community through one of the points of entry listed in Annex II.

3.Each consignment shall be identified with a code which corresponds to the code on the sampling results of the official sampling and analysis and health certificate referred to in paragraph 1.

4.Member States shall carry out documentary checks to ensure that the requirement for the health certificate and the sampling results referred to in paragraph 1 is complied with.

[F15. The competent authorities in each Member State shall undertake at random sampling of the consignments of peanuts and certain products derived from peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt for analysis of aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin.

Member States shall submit to the Commission every three months a report of all analytical results of official controls on consignments of peanuts and certain products derived from peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt. This report shall be submitted during the month following each quarter (4) .]

[F26. The random sampling and analysis referred to in paragraph 5 shall be carried out on approximately 20 % of the consignments of products for each category of the products referred to in paragraph 1.

Any consignment to be subjected to sampling and analysis, should be detained before release onto the market from the point of entry into the Community for a maximum of 15 working days. In this event, the competent authorities in the Member States shall issue an accompanying official document establishing that the consignment has been subjected to official sampling and analysis and indicating the result of the analysis.

7. In case a consignment is split, copies of the health certificate and accompanying documents referred to in the paragraphs 1 and 6 and certified by the competent authority of the Member State on whose territory the splitting has taken place, shall accompany each part of the split consignment.]

Textual Amendments

[F1Article 2 U.K.

This Decision shall be kept under review in the light of information and guarantees provided by the competent authorities of Egypt and on the basis of the results of the tests carried out by Member States. This review will assess whether the special conditions, referred to in Article 1, provide a sufficient level of protection of public health within the Community. The review shall also assess whether there is a continuing need for the special conditions.]

Textual Amendments

Article 3U.K.

This Decision repeals Decision 1999/356/EC.

Article 4U.K.

Member States shall take the measures concerning imports necessary to comply with this Decision. They shall inform the Commission thereof.

Article 5U.K.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

ANNEX IU.K.

[F1ANNEX II U.K.

List of points of entry through which peanuts and products derived from peanuts originating in or consigned from Egypt may be imported into the European Community

Member State Point of entry
België — Belgique Antwerpen, Zeebrugge, Brussel/Bruxelles, Aalst
Danmark All Danish harbours and airports
Deutschland HZA Lörrach — ZA Weil-am-Rhein-Autobahn, HZA Stuttgart — ZA Flughafen, HZA München — ZA München — Flughafen, HZA Hof- Schirnding-Landstraße, HZA Weiden — ZA Furth im Wald-Schafberg, HZA Weiden — ZA Waidhaus-Autobahn, Bezirksamt Reinickendorf von Berlin, Abteilung Finanzen, Wirtschaft und Kultur, Veterinär- und Lebensmittelaufsichtsamt, Grenzkontrollstelle, HZA Frankfurt (Oder) — ZA Autobahn, HZA Cottbus — ZA Forst-Autobahn, HZA Bremen — ZA Neustädter Hafen, HZA Bremen — ZA Bremerhaven, HZA Hamburg-Hafen — ZA Waltershof, HZA Hamburg-Stadt, HZA Itzehoe — ZA Hamburg-Flughafen, HZA Frankfurt-am-Main-Flughafen, HZA Braunschweig-Abfertigungsstelle, HZA Hannover-Abfertigungsstelle, HZA Oldenburg — ZA Stade, HZA Dresden — ZA Dresden-Friedrichstadt, HZA Pirna — ZA Altenberg, HZA Löbau — Zollamt Ludwigsdorf-Autobahn, HZA Koblenz — ZA Hahn-Flughafen, HZA Oldenburg — ZA Wilhelmshaven, HZA Bielefeld — ZA Eckendorfer Straße Bielefeld, HZA Erfurt — ZA Eisenach, HZA Potsdam — ZA Ludwigsfelde, HZA Potsdam — ZA Berlin-Flughafen Schönefeld, HZA Augsburg — ZA Memmingen, HZA Ulm — ZA Ulm (Donautal), HZA Karlsruhe — ZA Karlsruhe, HZA Berlin — ZA Dreilinden, HZA Gießen — ZA Gießen, HZA Gießen — ZA Marburg, HZA Singen — ZA Bahnhof, HZA Lörrach — ZA Weil-am-Rhein-Schusterinsel, HZA Hamburg-Stadt — ZA Oberelbe, HZA Hamburg-Stadt — ZA Oberelbe — Abfertigungsstelle Billbrook, HZA Hamburg-Stadt — ZA Oberelbe — Abfertigungsstelle Großmarkt, HZA Potsdam — ZA Berlin — Flughafen Schönefeld, HZA Düsseldorf — ZA Düsseldorf Nord
Ελλάς Athina, Pireas, Elefsis, Aerodromio ton Athinon, Thessaloniki, Volos, Patra, Iraklion tis Kritis, Aerodromio tis Kritis, Euzoni, Idomeni, Ormenio, Kipi, Kakavia, Niki, Promahonas, Pithio, Igoumenitsa, Kristalopigi
España Algeciras (Puerto), Alicante (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Almeria (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Asturias (Aeropuerto), Barcelona (Aeropuerto, Puerto, Ferrocarril), Bilbao (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Cadiz (Puerto), Cartagena (Puerto), Castellon (Puerto), Ceuta (Puerto), Gijón (Puerto), Huelva (Puerto), Irun (Carretera), La Coruña (Puerto), La Junquera (Carretera), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Madrid (Aeropuerto, Ferrocarril), Malaga (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Marin (Puerto), Melilla (Puerto), Murcia (Ferrocarril), Palma de Mallorca (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Pasajes (Puerto), San Sebastián (Aeropuerto), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Puerto), Santander (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Santiago de Compostela (Aeropuerto), Sevilla (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Tarragona (Puerto), Tenerife Norte (Aeropuerto), Tenerife Sur (Aeropuerto), Valencia (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Vigo (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Villagarcia (Puerto), Vitoria (Aeropuerto), Zaragoza (Aeropuerto)
France Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), Rungis MIN (Val-de-Marne), Lyon Chassieu CRD (Rhône), Strasbourg CRD (Bas-Rhin), Lille CRD (Nord), Saint-Nazaire-Montoir CRD (Loire-Atlantique), Agen (Lot-et-Garonne), port de la Pointe des Galets à la Réunion
Ireland Dublin — Port and Airport, Cork — Port and Airport, Shannon — Airport
Italia

Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Ancona

Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Bari

Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Genova

Ufficio Sanità Marittima di Livorno

Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Napoli

Ufficio Sanità Marittima di Ravenna

Ufficio Sanità Marittima di Salerno

Ufficio Sanità Marittima ed Aerea di Trieste

Dogana di Fernetti-Interporto Monrupino (Trieste)

Ufficio di Sanità Marittima di La Spezia

Ufficio di Sanità Marittima e Aerea di Venezia

Ufficio di Sanità Marittima e Aerea di Reggio Calabria

Luxembourg Centre douanier, Croix de Gasperich, Luxembourg
Nederland All harbours and airports and all border stations
Österreich HZA Feldkirch, HZA Graz, Nickelsdorf, Spielfeld, HZA Wien, ZA Wels, ZA Kledering, ZA Flughafen Wien, HZA Salzburg, ZA Klingenbach/Zweigstelle Sopron, ZA Karawankentunnel, ZA Villach
Portugal Lisboa, Leixões
Suomi-Finland All Finnish customs offices
Sverige Göteborg, Ystad, Stockholm, Helsingborg, Karlskrona, Karlsham, Landvetter, Arlanda
United Kingdom Belfast, Channel Tunnel Terminal, Dover, Felixstowe, Gatwick Airport, Goole Grangemouth, Harwich, Heathrow Airport, Heysham, Hull, Immingham, Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leith, Liverpool, London (including Tilbury, Thamesport and Sheerness), Manchester Airport, Manchester Container Port, Manchester (including Ellesmere Port), Medway, Middlesborough, Newhaven, Poole, Shoreham, Southampton, Stansted Airport]
(4)

[F1April, July, October, January.]

Textual Amendments