COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2020/871

of 23 June 2020

on authorising methods for grading pig carcasses in Lithuania

(Only the Lithuanian text is authentic)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (1), and in particular Article 20(p) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Point 1 of Section B.IV of Annex IV to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 provides that, for the classification of pig carcasses, the lean-meat content has to be assessed by means of grading methods authorised by the Commission and only statistically proven assessment methods based on the physical measurement of one or more anatomical parts of the pig carcass may be authorised. The authorisation of grading methods should be subject to compliance with a maximum tolerance for statistical error in assessment. That tolerance is defined in Part A of Annex V to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1182 (2).

(2) Commission Decision 2008/364/EC (3) authorises the use of four methods for grading pig carcasses in Lithuania.

(3) Unless explicitly authorised by Commission Implementing Decision, modifications of the apparatus or grading methods should not be allowed.

(4) Lithuania has requested the Commission to withdraw the authorisation of the methods ‘Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP7)’ and ‘IM-03’ from the list of methods authorised to grade pig carcasses on its territory, since the methods are no longer in use there.

(5) Lithuania has also requested the Commission to authorise one new method (Fat-O-Meat’er II). For that purpose, Lithuania has presented a detailed description of the dissection trial, indicating the principles on which this new method is based, the results of its dissection trial and the equations used for assessing the percentage of lean meat in the protocol provided for in Article 11(3) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1182. Lithuania has also requested the Commission to authorise updated formulas for two methods (Fat-O-Meat’er S70 and Manual method-ZP) already authorised by Decision 2008/364/EC for grading pig carcasses on its territory.

(6) Examination of that request has revealed that the conditions for authorising the new grading method and updating equations for the other two are fulfilled. These grading method and formulas should therefore be authorised in Lithuania.

(7) For reasons of clarity and legal certainty Decision 2008/364/EC should therefore be repealed.

(8) In order to allow operators sufficient time to adapt to the technical requirements of introducing new devices and new equations, the methods for grading pig carcasses authorised under Decision 2008/364/EC should continue to apply until 30 April 2021.

(9) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

1. The use of the following methods is authorised for grading pig carcasses pursuant to Point 1 of Section B.IV of Annex IV to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 in Lithuania:

(a) the ‘Fat-O-Meat’er S70 (FOM S70)’ apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto, details of which are set out in Part I of the Annex;

(b) the ‘Fat-O-Meat’er II (FOM II)’ apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto, details of which are set out in Part II of the Annex;

(c) the ‘manual method (ZP)’ with a ruler and the assessment methods related thereto, details of which are set out in Part III of the Annex.

2. The manual method ZP with a ruler, referred to in point (c) of paragraph 1, shall only be authorised for slaughterhouses:

(a) where the number of pigs slaughtered per week does not exceed 500, calculated as an annual average; or

(b) only in case of failure of the grading methods referred to in point (a) and (b) of paragraph 1, where the number of pigs slaughtered per week exceeds 500, calculated as an annual average.

Article 2

Modifications of the authorised apparatuses or grading methods shall not be allowed unless explicitly authorised by Commission Implementing Decision.

Article 3

Decision 2008/364/EC is repealed with effect from 1 May 2021.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Republic of Lithuania.

Done at Brussels, 23 June 2020.

For the Commission

Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI

Member of the Commission

(1)

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1182 of 20 April 2017 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the Union scales for the classification of beef, pig and sheep carcasses and as regards the reporting of market prices of certain categories of carcasses and live animals (

OJ L 171, 4.7.2017, p. 74

(3) Commission Decision 2008/364/EC of 28 April 2008 authorising methods for grading pig carcasses in Lithuania (

OJ L 125, 9.5.2008, p. 32

ANNEX

METHODS FOR GRADING PIG CARCASSES IN LITHUANIA

PART I

Fat-O-Meat’er S70 (FOM S70)

The rules provided for in this part shall apply when the grading of pig carcasses is carried out by means of the apparatus known as ‘Fat-O-Meat’er S70 (FOM S70)’.

The apparatus shall be equipped with a probe of 6 millimetres diameter containing a photodiode of the Siemens SFH 950/960 type and having an operating distance of between 3 and 103 millimetres. The results of the measurements shall be converted into estimated lean meat content by means of a computer.

The lean meat content of a carcass shall be calculated according to the following formula:

LMP

FOMS70

= 57,2500 – 0,2516 × F1 – 0,3926 × F2 + 0,1620 × M2

where:

LMP

FOMS70

the estimated percentage of lean meat in a carcass;

fat depth (including rind) in millimetres, measured between the 3rd and 4th vertebrae, 8 cm from the slaughter line;

fat depth (including rind) in millimetres, measured between 3rd and 4th last rib, 6 cm from the slaughter line;

Lean meat depth in millimetres, measured between the 3rd and 4th last rib, 6 cm from the slaughter line.

This formula shall be valid for carcasses weighing between 50 and 110 kilograms.

PART II

Fat-O-Meat’er II (FOM II)

The rules provided for in this part shall apply when the grading of pig carcasses is carried out by means of the apparatus known as ‘Fat-O-Meat’er II (FOM II)’.

The FOM II consists of an optical probe with a knife, a depth measurement device having an operating distance of between 0 and 125 millimetres and a data acquisition and analysis board. The results of the measurements shall be converted into estimated lean meat content by the FOM II apparatus itself.

The lean meat content of a carcass shall be calculated according to the following formula:

LMP

FOMII

= 61,4200 – 0,6891 × F2 + 0,0977 × M2

where:

LMP

FOMII

the estimated percentage of lean meat in a carcass;

fat depth (including rind) in millimetres, measured between 3rd and 4th last rib, 6 cm from the slaughter line;

lean meat depth in millimetres, measured between the 3rd and 4th last rib, 6 cm from the slaughter line.

This formula shall be valid for carcasses weighing between 50 and 110 kilograms.

PART III

Manual method (ZP)

The rules provided for in this Part shall apply when the grading of pig carcasses is carried out by use of the ‘manual method (ZP)’ measuring by ruler.

This method may be implemented using a ruler, with the grading determined on the basis of the prediction equation. It is based on the manual measurement on the midline of the split carcass of the thickness of the fat and of the thickness of the muscle.

The lean meat content of carcasses shall be calculated according to the following formula:

LMPZP = 54,89 – 0,4751 × F +0,1204 × M

where:

LMPZP

the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcass,

fat depth (including rind) in millimetres, measured at the thinnest location above the musculus gluteus medius of the carcass at the slaughter line;

Thickness of the loin muscle in millimetres, measured as the shortest connection of the front (cranial) end of the musculus gluteus medius to the upper (dorsal) edge of the spinal canal of the carcass at the slaughter line.

This formula shall be valid for carcasses weighing between 50 and 110 kg.