Foodlaw-Reading
Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Council Minutes, 25 September 2017
The following are two related extracts from the minutes of the General Affairs Council Meeting held on the 25 September 2017:
Hygiene rules meat transport and echinoderms
The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of two Commission regulations amending regulation 853/2004 as regards:
Regulation 853/2004 sets out specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin for food business operators. In particular it assures that these operators may only place products of animal origin on the market if they have been prepared and handled exclusively in establishments that meet certain requirements.
The new Commission regulations establish how echinoderms are excluded from provisions on the classification of certain production areas since they are generally not filter feeder animals. They also introduce - based on the EFSA opinion - alternative, more flexibility approaches for the temperature conditions during transport of fresh meat, in particular carcasses or larger cuts without any increased public health risk.
Official controls on echinoderms
The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of Commission regulation amending regulation 854/2004 as regard the organisation of official controls on echinoderms harvested outside classified production areas (11468/17).
Regulation 854/2004 sets out specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption.
The new Commission regulation amends regulation 854/2004 by reclassifying echinoderms as not filter feeders and by placing them under the rules set out in Chapter III of Annex II.
