Report on discussions at the EU Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) on 19 and 20 July 2005.

The Commission tabled a significantly and substantially revised version (SANCO/55/2005 rev.6) of the proposal for implementing measures and transitional arrangements at the meeting.

The proposal was not put to indicative vote as had been expected. In the course of inter-service consultation, the Commission's legal service insisted that the proposal be split into three, as it was dealing with matters deriving from three different legal bases. The rev. 6 document would however form the basis of the new texts.

The Commission indicated that the three new texts would be circulated at the end of August 2005 with the intention of taking a vote (presumably indicative) at the SCoFCAH meeting on 20 and 21 September 2005.

Allowing for clearance and translation, it seems likely that the regulations would appear in the EU Official Journal in early December 2005. The new texts would be spilt by the following subject areas:

• Permanent measures - amendments, implementing and traditional measures
• Trichinella
• Transitional arrangements

[As described above, copies of the revised documents (SANCO/2535/2005, SANCO/2536/2005 and SANCO/2537/2005) can be found below.]

The UK noted the difficulty this timeframe could cause in putting in place the necessary legal and administrative measures necessary to apply the legislation effectively by 1 January 2006.

The Commission asked Member States to provide comments on the rev.6 document by 5 August at the latest. The Agency therefore invites comments from stakeholders on the proposal at the earliest opportunity before that date, in order that consideration can be given to those comments in the light of the UK's response to the Commission.

There was brief discussion of a revised text for this proposal that had been changed to reflect discussions at the SCoFCAH meeting on 21/22 June. The only further changes agreed were of a textual and editorial nature and did not affect the substance. The Commission put the proposal to a vote and it was agreed unanimously.

At the meeting the Commission circulated a working document on the technical specifications in relation to the master list of lists and the lists of approved food establishments.

This document sets out the format of the master list, the categories of food establishments and the layout of lists of food establishments. It also provides codes and legends.

Member States have been asked to submit comments on the technical specifications document by 5 August 2005.

As with the implementing measures and transitional arrangements, the Agency therefore invites comments from stakeholders on the proposal at the earliest opportunity before that date, in order that consideration can be given to those comments in the light of the UK's response to the Commission.

The Commission has now divided the Implementing Measures and Transitional Arrangements into three draft documents. These can be found below:

• implementing measures (SANCO/2535/2005)
• transitional arrangements (SANCO/2536/2005)
• trichenella (SANCO/2537/2005)

Stakeholder comments are welcome on these three draft documents. A letter sent to stakeholders on 31 August 2005 providing all of the information relevant to the consultation can also be found below.

Contact:

David Gray
020 7276 8940
david.gray@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk