ACT : Commission Regulation 197/2006/EC on transitional measures under Regulation 1774/2002/EC as regards the collection, transport, treatment, use and disposal of former foodstuffs
CONTENTÂ : The main provisions of the Regulation are as follows:
- Regulation 1774/2002/EC provides for a complete revision of Community rules concerning animal byproducts not intended for human consumption, including the introduction of a number of strict requirements. In addition, it provides that appropriate transitional measures may be adopted. Due to the strict nature of those requirements, Commission Regulation 13/2003/EC granted a derogation to Member States in order to enable them to authorise operators to continue to apply national rules for the collection, transport and disposal of former foodstuffs of animal origin until 31 December 2005. Member States have asked to extend the derogation for a further period of time in order to avoid disruption of trade. This Regulation extends the derogation.
- Council Directive 1999/31/EC sets out conditions for the granting of permits for landfills and the waste to be accepted in the different landfills. This Regulation applies the measures provided for in that Directive, where the competent authority considers that the former foodstuffs do not pose a risk to public or animal health, if they are disposed of in a landfill.
-Certain former foodstuffs, such as bread, pasta, pastry and similar products, pose little risk to public or animal health providing they have not been in contact with raw material of animal origin such as raw meat, raw fishery products, raw eggs and raw milk. In such cases, the competent authority will be permitted to allow the former foodstuffs to be used as feed material if the authority is satisfied that such practice does not pose a risk to public or animal health. The competent authority will also be permitted to allow it to be used for other purposes, such as fertiliser, or treated or disposed of in another way, such as in a biogas or a composting plant which is not approved in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation 1774/2002/EC.
-In order to prevent a risk to animal and public health, appropriate control systems will be maintained in the Member States for the period of the transitional measures.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 7 February 2006
DATE OF APPLICATION : from 1 January 2006 to 31 July 2007.