Commission Decision

of 14 June 2007

prohibiting the placing on the market of products derived from bovine animals born or reared within the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996 for any purpose and exempting such animals from certain control and eradication measures laid down in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 and repealing Decision 2005/598/EC

(notified under document number C(2007) 2473)

(Only the English text is authentic)

(2007/411/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies1, and in particular Articles 13(1) and 13(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)
Commission Decision 2005/598/EC of 2 August 2005 prohibiting the placing on the market of products derived from bovine animals born or reared within the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996 for any purpose and exempting such animals from certain control and eradication measures laid down in Regulation (EC) No 999/20012 places a marketing ban on all products consisting of or incorporating materials derived from bovine animals born or reared in the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996. However, by way of derogation, milk and hides prepared for use for leather production can be placed on the market.
(2)

Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 lays down measures to be applied when the presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has been officially confirmed. One of these measures consists in the immediate and complete destruction of all parts of the body, including hide, of bovine animals belonging to the cohort of the animal in which BSE was confirmed.

(3)

Before August 1996, the identification system for cattle in the United Kingdom was insufficient to allow reliable tracing of animals and accurate identification of cohorts of BSE-positive cases. Consequently, all cattle born before August 1996 are considered to be cohort animals.

(4)

Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 provides that, by way of derogation from complete destruction of all parts of the body of cohort animals, Member States may apply other measures offering an equivalent level of protection, if such measures have been approved in accordance with a committee procedure.

(5)
On 18 May 2006, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) adopted an opinion on the BSE risk from bovine hides coming from cohort animals3. EFSA recognised that the production of leather made from the hides of cohort animals presents a negligible risk provided these animals are either slaughtered in dedicated premises or separated in time from normal slaughter, their hides are clearly and immediately labelled before being transported direct to processing facilities and, in addition, that all tanned and un-tanned by-products are destroyed.
(6)
On 12 March 2007, the United Kingdom presented an official protocol for channelling all hides coming from bovine animals born or reared before 1 August 1996 in the United Kingdom4 (the official protocol). This protocol is entirely under official supervision and meets the conditions recommended for cohort hides in the EFSA opinion adopted on 18 May 2006.
(7)

The United Kingdom should therefore be allowed to use cattle cohort hides deriving from bovine animals born or reared in the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996 for leather production.

(8)

For legal reasons, Decision 2005/598/EC should be repealed and replaced by a new one whose provisions, except for those related to hides, are identical.

(9)

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: