Commission Decision
of 8 December 2004
amending Decision 97/222/EC laying down the list of third countries from which the Member States authorise the importation of meat products
(notified under document number C(2004) 4563)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2004/857/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 72/462/EEC of 12 December 1972 on health and veterinary inspection problems upon importation of bovine, ovine and caprine animals and swine, fresh meat or meat products from third countries, and in particular Articles 3(1) and 16 in conjunction with the first indent of Article 21a(1) thereof,
OJ L 302, 31.12.1972, p. 28. Directive as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 807/2003 (OJ L 122, 16.5.2003, p. 36).
Having regard to Council Directive 92/118/EEC of 17 December 1992 laying down animal health and public health requirements governing trade in and imports into the Community of products not subject to the said requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A (I) to Directive 89/662/EEC and as regards pathogens, to Directive 90/425/EEC, and in particular Article 10(2)(a) and (3)(a) thereof,
OJ L 62, 15.3.1993, p. 49. Directive as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 445/2004 (OJ L 72, 11.3.2004, p. 60).
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/99/EC of 16 December 2002 laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and introduction of products of animal origin for human consumption, and in particular Article 8(1) and (4) thereof,
OJ L 18, 23.1.2003, p. 11.
Whereas:
(1) Commission Decision 97/222/EC establishes a list of third countries or parts of third countries from which the importation of meat products are authorised.
OJ L 89, 4.4.1997, p. 39. Decision as last amended by Decision 2004/245/EC (OJ L 77, 13.3.2004, p. 62).
(2) To ensure transparency and harmonisation of the codes for certain treatment regimes as laid down in the tables in Part II and III of the Annex to Decision 97/222/EC, it is necessary to amend and clarify some of the footnotes with reference to the origin and provenance of fresh meat.
(3) In the description of regionalised territories in Part I of the Annex to Decision 97/222/EC, there are outdated references to legislation that has now been repealed and replaced by new acts. It is therefore necessary to update those references. The corresponding codes of territories and treatment regimes in Part II of the Annex to Decision 97/222/EC should also be updated accordingly.
(4) Therefore, Part I, II and IV of the Annex to Decision 97/222/EC should be amended accordingly.
(5) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 Commission Decision 97/222/EC is amended as follows:
1. Part I of the Annex is replaced by the text in Annex I to this Decision;
2. Part II of the Annex is replaced by the text in Annex II to this Decision;
3. Part IV of the Annex is replaced by the text in Annex III to this Decision.
Article 2 This Decision shall apply from 23 December 2004.
Article 3 This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 8 December 2004.
For the Commission
Markos Kyprianou
Member of the Commission
ANNEX I

‘Description of regionalised territories as laid down for the countries listed in parts II and III
Country	Territory		Description of territory
	Code	Version	
Argentina	AR		Whole country
	AR-1	1/2004	The whole country except the Provinces of Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego
	AR-2	1/2004	The Provinces of Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego
Bulgaria	BG		Whole country
	BG-1	—	As described in Part I of Annex II to Council Decision 79/542/EEC OJ L 146, 14.6.1976, p. 15. (as last amended)
	BG-2	—	As described in Part I of Annex II to Council Decision 79/542/EEC (as last amended)
Brazil	BR		Whole country
	BR-1	—	As described in Annex I to Commission Decision 94/984/EC OJ L 378, 31.12.1994, p. 11. (as last amended)
Serbia and Montenegro	CS		Whole country as described in Part I of Annex II to Council Decision 79/542/EEC (as last amended)
Malaysia	MY		Whole country
	MY-1	95/1	Peninsular (western) Malaysia only’

ANNEX II

‘PART II

Third countries or parts thereof from where meat products are authorised for importation into the European Community
Code ISO	Country of origin or part thereof	1. Domestic bovine2. Farmed cloven-hoofed game (excluding swine)	Domestic ovine/caprine	1. Domestic porcine2. Farmed cloven-hoofed game (swine)	Domestic soliped	1. Domestic poultry2. Farmed feathered game	Domestic rabbit and farmed leporidae	Wild cloven hoofed game (excluding swine)	Wild swine	Wild soliped	Wild leporidae (rabbits and hares)	Wild game birds	Wild land mammalian game (excluding ungulates, solipeds and leporidae)
AR	Argentina AR	C	C	C	A	A	A	C	C	XXX	A	D	XXX
	Argentina AR-1 See Part III of the present Annex for minimum treatment requirements applicable to pasteurised meat products and biltong.	C	C	C	A	A	A	C	C	XXX	A	D	XXX
	Argentina AR-2	A For meat products prepared from fresh meat obtained from animals slaughtered after 1 March 2002.	A	C	A	A	A	C	C	XXX	A	D	XXX
AU	Australia	A	A	A	A	D	A	A	A	XXX	A	D	A
BG	Bulgaria BG	D	D	D	A	D	A	D	D	XXX	A	D	XXX
	Bulgaria BG-1	A	A	D	A	D	A	A	D	XXX	A	D	XXX
	Bulgaria BG-2	D	D	D	A	D	A	D	D	XXX	A	D	XXX
BH	Bahrain	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	C	C	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
BR	Brazil	C	C	C	A	D	A	C	C	XXX	A	D	XXX
	Brazil BR-1	C	C	C	A	A	A	C	C	XXX	A	A	XXX
BW	Botswana	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	B	B	A	A	XXX	XXX
BY	Belarus	C	C	C	B	XXX	A	C	C	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
CA	Canada	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	XXX	A	A	A
CH	Switzerland	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	D	XXX	A	A	XXX
CL	Chile	A	A	A	A	A	A	B	B	XXX	A	A	XXX
CN	People’s Republic of China	B	B	B	B	B	A	B	B	XXX	A	B	XXX
CO	Colombia	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
CS	Serbia and Montenegro	A	A	D	A	D	A	D	D	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
ET	Ethiopia	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
GL	Greenland	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	A	XXX	XXX	XXX	A	A	A
HK	Hong Kong	B	B	B	B	D	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
HR	Croatia	A	A	D	A	A	A	A	D	XXX	A	A	XXX
IL	Israel	B	B	B	B	D	A	B	B	XXX	A	D	XXX
IN	India	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
IS	Iceland	B	B	B	A	A	A	B	B	XXX	A	A	XXX
KE	Kenya	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
KR	South Korea	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	D	A	XXX	XXX	XXX	A	D	XXX
MA	Morocco	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
MG	Madagascar	B	B	B	B	D	A	B	B	XXX	A	D	XXX
MK	Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: provisional code that does not affect the definitive denomination of the country to be attributed after the conclusion of the negotiations currently taking place in the United Nations.	A	A	B	A	XXX	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
MU	Mauritius	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
MX	Mexico	A	D	D	A	D	A	D	D	XXX	A	D	XXX
MY	Malaysia MY	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX
	Malaysia MY-1	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	D	A	XXX	XXX	XXX	A	D	XXX
NA	Namibia	B	B	B	B	D	A	B	B	A	A	D	XXX
NZ	New Zealand	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	XXX	A	A	A
PY	Paraguay	C	C	C	B	XXX	A	C	C	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
RO	Romania	A	A	D	A	A	A	A	D	XXX	A	A	A
RU	Russia	C	C	C	B	XXX	A	C	C	XXX	A	XXX	A
SG	Singapore	B	B	B	B	D	A	B	B	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
SZ	Swaziland	B	B	B	B	XXX	A	B	B	A	A	XXX	XXX
TH	Thailand	B	B	B	B	A	A	B	B	XXX	A	D	XXX
TN	Tunisia	C	C	B	B	A	A	B	B	XXX	A	D	XXX
TR	Turkey	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	D	A	XXX	XXX	XXX	A	D	XXX
UA	Ukraine	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	XXX	A	XXX	XXX	XXX	A	XXX	XXX
US	United States of America	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	XXX	A	A	XXX
UY	Uruguay	C	C	B	A	D	A	XXX	XXX	XXX	A	D	XXX
ZA	South Africa	C	C	C	A	D	A	C	C	A	A	D	XXX
ZW	Zimbabwe	C	C	B	A	D	A	B	B	XXX	A	D	XXX
XXX Meat products containing meat of these species are not authorised.													’

ANNEX III

‘PART IV Interpretation of codes used in tables in parts II and III

Non-specific treatment regime:

A
No minimum specified temperature or other treatment is established for animal health purposes for the meat product. However, to qualify as a “meat product”, the meat must have undergone a treatment such that its cut surface shows that it no longer has the characteristics of fresh meat and the fresh meat used must also satisfy the animal health rules applicable to the export of fresh meat to the European Community.

Specific treatment regimes — listed in descending order of severity:

B =
Treatment in a hermetically sealed container to an Fo value of three or more.

C = A
Minimum temperature of 80 °C which must be reached throughout the meat during the processing of the meat product.

D = A
Minimum temperature of 70 °C which must be reached throughout the meat during the processing of meat products, or for raw ham, a treatment consisting of natural fermentation and maturation of not less than nine months and resulting in the following characteristics:
Aw value of not more than 0,93,
pH value of not more than 6,0.

E =
In the case of “biltong”-type products, a treatment to achieve:
Aw value of not more than 0,93,
pH value of not more than 6,0.

F = A
Heat treatment ensuring that a centre temperature of at least 65 °C is reached for a period of time as necessary to achieve a pasteurisation value (pv) equal to or above 40.’