Report of meeting of Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH): 14 January 2009

• Guidance documents on Regulation (EC) 852/2004 (SANCO/1731/2008 Rev 5) and (EC) 853/2004 (SANCO/1732/2008 Rev 5)
  Will be discussed again at the Working Group on 23rd January when legal opinion will be available. Drafting to be further amended and opinion sought at February SCoFCAH
• Availability of pepsin for trichinella testing
  Item will be discussed in depth at Working Group on 23rd January.
• French notification concerning milk and dairy products from scrapie infected flocks
  An information point at present, as France has only introduced controls at the national level. They are looking for harmonised controls to be introduced at the community level. Subject will be discussed at a future Working Group. Not reported further.
• Dioxin update from Ireland
  Figures presented on progress with culling and disposal of pigs and cattle. Commission confirmed they are content with current situation. Not reported further.
• Control and testing of Salmonella in breeding hens and turkeys (SANCO /1932/2008)
  Minor drafting changes made at this meeting were accepted unanimously. Not reported further.
• Measures for disinfection of air in the transit of animals through third countries meat from equidae and fresh meat (SANCO/3794/2008 Rev 1)
  Accepted unanimously. Not reported further.

• BSE testing
  A letter will shortly be sent to CVOs explaining how the recent changes to testing requirements should be uniformly implemented using the birth place of the animal to assign the testing age. Not reported further.
• Steam Pasteurisation
  The document developed for steam pasteurisation will be expanded to include hot water treatments and discussed at the February SCoFCAH. Not reported further.
• Date of next meeting:
  Not yet fixed.
• Guidance documents attached at the foot of the page.

Guidance document on the implementation of certain provisions of Regulation (EC) 852/2004 (SANCO/1731/2008 Rev 5) and (EC) 853/2004 (SANCO/1732/2008 Rev 5)

These documents seek to provide further clarification to aid implementation of the legislation. Since the documents received a consensus at the December ‘08 Working Group, they have been sent to other EU departments and services for consultation, some of which have asked for an extension for comments. This item will be re-tabled for an opinion at February SCoFCAH.

Availability of pepsin for the purposes of trichinella testing

The Commission wants to gather information as some MS had reported problems with supply. The item will be discussed in greater detail at the Working Group on 23rd January.