(1)

Directive 2002/32/EC provides that the use of products intended for animal feed which contain levels of undesirable substances exceeding the maximum levels laid down in Annex I to that Directive is prohibited.

(2)

Information has been provided that melamine is used in the coating of cans containing pet food and can migrate into that pet food. Cans with the same coating are used for the canning of food and in accordance with the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) a scientific opinion on melamine in food and feed (2), a specific migration limit (SML) of 2,5 mg/kg for the canned food as such has been established by Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 of 14 January 2011 on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food (3) as amended by Regulation (EU) No 1282/2011 (4).

(3)

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has established maximum levels for melamine in feed and food (5) which are to apply to feed as sold, while the maximum levels established in Directive 2002/32/EC concern feed with a moisture content of 12 %.

(4)

Recently provided information has demonstrated that melamine can migrate in wet pet food from the can coating at a level above 2,5 mg/kg relative to a feed with a moisture content of 12 % but below the SML of 2,5 mg/kg in the wet pet food. In the light of this development in scientific and technical knowledge, it is appropriate to establish the maximum level of 2,5 mg/kg for melamine for canned wet pet food on a ‘as sold’ basis and this in line with what is foreseen for canned food.

(5)

Directive 2002/32/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(6)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health and neither the European Parliament nor the Council has opposed them,

(1)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 lays down, pursuant to the outcome of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations, the criteria whereby the Commission fixes the standard values for imports from third countries, in respect of the products and periods stipulated in Annex XVI, Part A thereto.

(2)

The standard import value is calculated each working day, in accordance with Article 136(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011, taking into account variable daily data. Therefore this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,

(1)

On 22 December 2009 and on 18 January 2010, the Council adopted Decisions 2009/1014/EU (1) and 2010/29/EU (2) appointing the members and alternate members of the Committee of the Regions for the period from 26 January 2010 to 25 January 2015.

(2)

An alternate member’s seat on the Committee of the Regions has become vacant following the end of the term of office of Mr Martin MERRILD,

—

Mr Erik FLYVHOLM, Borgmester i Lemvig Kommune.

(1)

Article 6(1b) of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 provides that the annual monitoring programmes for the Member States having demonstrated an improvement in their epidemiological situation, according to certain criteria, may be revised.

(2)

The Annex to Commission Decision 2009/719/EC of 28 September 2009 authorising certain Member States to revise their annual BSE monitoring programmes (2) as amended by Implementing Decision 2011/358/EU (3) lists 25 Member States authorised to revise their annual monitoring programme in accordance with Article 6(1b) of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 (hereafter referred to as the EU-25).

(3)

Regarding the monitoring of bovine animals subject to normal slaughter for human consumption, Article 2(1)(a) of Decision 2009/719/EC provides that the EU-25 shall test for BSE all bovine animals above 72 months of age, whereas Article 2(3) provides that, from 1 January 2013, the EU-25 may decide to test only a minimum annual sample of the healthy slaughtered cattle over 72 months of age.

(4)

On 8 October 2012 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved a scientific and technical assistance report on the minimum sample size to test should an annual BSE statistical testing regime be authorised in healthy slaughtered cattle (4).

(5)

EFSA concluded in its report that, according to the estimates from a model developed to reply to the Commission mandate (C-TSEMM model), no healthy slaughter animals need to be tested in order for the current surveillance system of at risk sub-populations (fallen stock, casualty slaughter and clinical suspects) to meet, in the EU-25 group considered as a whole, a design prevalence of one detectable case in 100 000 adult cattle at a confidence level of 95 %, the international standard established by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) regarding the performance of BSE surveillance systems. Should no healthy slaughtered animals have been tested in 2011, the surveillance system would still have ensured a design prevalence of one case per 5 355 627 in the adult population of the EU-25 at a confidence level of 95 %.

(6)

Considering the decreasing trend of BSE in the European Union, EFSA’s estimate that in the EU-25 the surveillance system based on the testing of at risk sub-populations only would easily meet the international standard regarding the performance of BSE surveillance systems, and the fact that no testing of healthy slaughtered animals is required to meet the international standard established by the OIE for the monitoring of BSE provided that animals from the three at risk sub-populations are tested, the testing of healthy slaughtered cattle could be stopped in the EU-25. The provisions for the surveillance system of healthy slaughtered cattle in the EU-25 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(7)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,