
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,
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,
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,
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.

(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(3) In the description of regionalised territories in Part I of the Annex to Decision 97/222/EC, there are outdated references to legislation that has now been repealed and replaced by new acts.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 (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 (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


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ANNEX II

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PART II 

Third countries or parts thereof from where meat products are authorised for importation into the European CommunityCode 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 C C C A A A C C XXX A D XXX
Argentina AR-2 A 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 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



XXXMeat products containing meat of these species are not authorised.
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ANNEX III

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PART IV Interpretation of codes used in tables in parts II and III 
Non-specific treatment regime: 

ANo 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 = AMinimum temperature of 80 °C which must be reached throughout the meat during the processing of the meat product.D = AMinimum 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 = AHeat 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.
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