. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/EEC/136
6 August 2001
(01-3878)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission, General Directorate for Health and Consumer
Protection
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where
applicable).  Meat of (animal species, TARIC Position) bovine (0201, 02.02), swine
(0203), sheep (0204), poultry (0207), including edible offal (0206) farmed game (0208),
Liver (0206 to 0210) and meat products containing liver (within Chapter 1601);  fish (0302
to 0307) and fishery products (0511);  milk and milk products (0401 to 0406) including
butter fat (04.05);  hen eggs (0407.00) and egg products (0408);  meat products (Chapter
16), if containing meat of bovine, pigs, sheep, poultry, farmed game;  animal fats, fish oiland vegetable oil (Chapter 15) if intended for human consumption)  Regions or countries
likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  EC member States and third
countries exporting to the European Communities
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft Commission Regulation
amending Regulation (EC) No 466/2001 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants
in foodstuffs (7 pages)
5. Description of content:  This draft Regulation forms a part of an overall comprehensive
strategy to reduce the presence of dioxins in environment food and feed.  (Notifications
G/SPS/N/EEC/134, G/SPS/N/EEC/135, G/SPS/N/EEC/136 and G/SPS/N/EEC/137).
The tools to achieve this reduction, necessary to guarantee a high level of public health
protection, consist of source directed measures and the establishment of maximum levels
action levels and target levels. This draft Regulation establishes the following maximum
levels (expressed in WHO-PCDD/F-TE Q = sum of polychlorinated dibenzo- para -dioxins
(PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) expressed in World Health
Organisation (WHO) toxic equivalents, using the WHO –TEFs (toxic equivalency factors):
Meat and meat products originating from:
− Ruminants (bovine animals, sheep) 3.00 pg/g fat
− Poultry and farmed game 2.00 pg/g fat
− Pigs 1.00 pg/g fat
− Liver and derived products 6.00 pg/g fat
Muscle meat of fish and fishery products and products
thereof (estimated in fresh weight basis) 4.00 pg/g fat
Milk and milk products, including butter fat 3.00 pg/g fatG/SPS/N/EEC/136
Page 2
Hen eggs and egg products 3.00 pg/g fat
Oils and fats:
Animal fat:
− from ruminants 3.00 pg/g fat
− from poultry and farmed game 2.00 pg/g fat
− from pigs 1.00 pg/g fat
− mixed animal fat 2.00 pg/g fat
Vegetable oil 0.75 pg/g fatFish oil intended for human consumption 2.00 pg/g fat
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [  X ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:           
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  European
Commission Document SANC O/0384/01 – Rev.4 (Available in all EC languages)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  October 2001
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  1 January 2002
11. Final date for comments:  15 September 2001
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [  X ] EC enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:           
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [  X ] EC enquiry point or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
The Risk assessments made by the Scientific Committee for food are available at
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/out78_en.pdf
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/out90_en.pdf
The Risk assessments made by the Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition is available at
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scan/out55_en.pdf
The assessment of the health risk of dioxins made by a WHO consultation (1998) isavailable at http://www.who.int/pcs/docs/diox in-exec-sum/exe-sum-final.html
The report of the 57th meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee of Food Additives
(JECFA) International Program for Chemical  Safety (IPCS, 2001) is available at:
http://www.who.int/pcs/jecfa/Summary57-corr.pdf