The purpose of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 is to ensure that measures are taken to detect and control Salmonella and other zoonotic agents at all relevant stages of production, processing and distribution, particularly at the level of primary production, in order to reduce their prevalence and the risk they pose to public health.

Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 provides in particular for Union targets to be established for the reduction of the prevalence of the zoonoses and zoonotic agents listed in Annex I thereto in the animal populations listed therein. It also lays down certain requirements for those targets.

The European Committee for Standardization and the International Organization for Standardization recently revised a number of reference methods and a protocol to verify compliance with Regulations (EU) No 200/2010, (EU) No 517/2011, (EU) No 200/2012 and (EU) No 1190/2012, therefore these regulations need to be updated accordingly. The update should concern in particular the requirements for the use of alternative methods in light of the revised reference standard protocol EN ISO 16140-2 (validation of alternative methods) and the new reference method for the detection of Salmonella (EN ISO 6579-1).

Alternative methods appropriately validated against the reference methods are to be considered equivalent to the reference methods. The use of alternative methods is currently limited to food business operators according to point 3.4 of the Annexes to Regulations (EU) No 200/2010, (EU) No 517/2011, (EU) No 200/2012 and (EU) No 1190/2012. However, competent authorities should also have the possibility to use alternative methods, as there is no reason to limit the use of appropriately validated alternative methods to food business operators only.

Representative sampling for the control of Salmonella in flocks of laying hens and breeding hens of Gallus gallus is not always practical in enriched cage houses and non-cage multi-tier houses with manure belts between each tier, which are increasingly used for the housing of these birds. It is therefore appropriate to allow an alternative sampling procedure, providing a practical solution for sampling these flocks whilst maintaining at least equivalent sensitivity to current sampling procedures.

It is appropriate to establish a transitional provision giving food business operators sufficient time to adapt to the revised or new CEN/ISO standards. The transitional provision would also allow food business operators to reduce the burden for the validation of alternative methods in accordance with the new EN ISO 16140-2 on laboratories and on test kit manufacturers, as some certificates based on the previous standard ISO 16140:2003 may still be valid until the end of the year 2021.

Regulations (EU) No 200/2010, (EU) No 517/2011, (EU) No 200/2012 and (EU) No 1190/2012 should therefore be amended accordingly.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,