(1)

Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 lays down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in animals. It applies to the production and placing on the market of live animals and products of animal origin and in certain specific cases to exports thereof.

(2)

Article 7(1) and (2) of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 provide that the feeding to ruminants and other animals of animal proteins is prohibited. Annex IV to that Regulation sets out derogations from that prohibition.

(3)

Commission Directive 2003/126/EC of 23 December 2003 on the analytical method for the determination of constituents of animal origin for the official control of feedingstuffs (2) provides that official analysis of feedingstuffs with a view to officially controlling the presence, identification and/or estimation of the amount of constituents of animal origin in feedingstuffs is to be carried out in accordance with that Directive.

(4)

For these purposes, the Community Reference Laboratory for the detection of animal proteins in feed (CRA-W) carried out proficiency testing of laboratories as part of its annual work programme, which have demonstrated the good performance of laboratories for detecting small amounts of constituents of animal origin in feedingstuffs using the analytical method as described in Directive 2003/126/EC.

(5)

That improvement in laboratory performance has resulted in the detection of the adventitious presence of bone spicules, particularly in tuber and root crops. Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules (3), appropriate measures are to be taken in case of non-compliance, which may include the destruction of the consignment.

(6)

Point A(d) of Part II of Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 provides for a derogation from the prohibition laid down in Article 7(1) and (2) of that Regulation so that the feeding to farmed animals of tuber and root crops and feedingstuffs containing such products following the detection of bone may be permitted by the Member States if there has been a favourable risk assessment.

(7)

It has been demonstrated that environmental contamination during harvesting of feed materials of plant origin by for example bone spicules cannot be avoided. Accordingly, the derogation set out in point A(d) of Part II of Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 concerning tuber and root crops should be extended to cover all feed materials of plant origin under certain conditions.

(8)

Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(9)

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

‘(d)

the feeding to farmed animals of feed materials of plant origin and feedingstuffs containing such products following the detection of insignificant amounts of bone spicules may be permitted by the Member States if there has been a favourable risk assessment. The risk assessment shall take into account at least the amount and possible source of contamination and the final destination of the consignment’.