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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2241 of 5 November 2025 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 as regards post-mortem inspections of bovine animals, sheep and goats

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2241 of 5 November 2025 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 as regards post-mortem inspections of bovine animals, sheep and goats

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

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

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products, amending Regulations (EC) No 999/2001, (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) No 1069/2009, (EC) No 1107/2009, (EU) No 1151/2012, (EU) No 652/2014, (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1/2005 and (EC) No 1099/2009 and Council Directives 98/58/EC, 1999/74/EC, 2007/43/EC, 2008/119/EC and 2008/120/EC, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 89/608/EEC, 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 96/23/EC, 96/93/EC and 97/78/EC and Council Decision 92/438/EEC (Official Controls Regulation)(1), and in particular Article 18(8), point (d),

Whereas:

  1. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627(2) lays down uniform practical arrangements for the performance of official controls and actions in relation to the production of products of animal origin intended for human consumption in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625, including for post-mortem inspection.

  2. Article 19 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 provides for post-mortem inspection procedures for bovine animals other than those under eight months old and for bovine animals other than those under 20 months old if reared without access to pastureland during their whole life in an officially tuberculosis-free Member State or zones thereof in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620(3). In particular, Article 19(1), point (f), of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 provides that these animals are to undergo a visual inspection of the gastro-intestinal tract, the mesentery, the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes (Lnn. gastrici, mesenterici, craniales and caudales) and a palpation of the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes.

  3. According to a scientific opinion on the public health hazards to be covered by inspection of meat (bovine animals) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)(4), palpations may pose a public health risk because of possible cross-contamination with foodborne pathogens potentially present on carcases or offal. The EFSA opinion nevertheless recommends maintaining a number of palpations and incisions within the respiratory tract of the animals to monitor the presence of tuberculosis. Since the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes are not located in the respiratory tract and in order to simplify the practical arrangements of the post-mortem inspection, the obligation to perform a palpation of the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes of bovine animals during routine post-mortem inspection should be removed. Article 19, paragraph 1, point (f), should be amended accordingly.

  4. The EFSA scientific opinion on the public health hazards to be covered by inspection of meat from sheep and goats(5) allows to differentiate practical arrangements for post-mortem inspection of sheep and goats according to the age of these animals. Articles 20(1) and 21(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 lay down post-mortem inspection procedures for young domestic sheep and goats and other domestic sheep and goats respectively. These procedures differ depending on whether the sheep are above or below 12 months of age or have eruption of permanent incisors or not, and whether goats are above or below six months of age. Data from results of post-mortem inspections in slaughterhouses reveal that public health and animal health hazards found during post-mortem inspection are similar in goats below 6 months of age and goats between 6 and 12 months of age. In addition, in the slaughterhouse, specified risk material (SRM) are to be removed from carcasses of sheep and goats from the age of 12 months in accordance with Annex V to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council(6). In order to simplify legislation, and since there would be no negative impact on food safety, the age of 12 months used as a basis for determining whether sheep should be subject to the post-mortem inspection procedures provided for in Article 20 or those provided for in Article 21 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 should also be used for determining which post-mortem inspection procedures apply to goats. Articles 20 and 21 should be amended accordingly.

  5. In addition, Article 21(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 provides for post-mortem inspection procedures for other domestic sheep and goats than young sheep and goats depending on indications of a possible risk to human health, animal health or animal welfare during the initial routine inspection. Article 21(2), point (b), provides for the incision of the oesophagus to verify the presence of certain parasites that are of negligible public and animal health significance. Incision of the oesophagus may pose a high risk of cross-contamination with pathogens potentially present. For these reasons, the obligation to perform an incision of the oesophagus should be removed. Article 21(2), point (b), should be amended accordingly.

  6. The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 is amended as follows:

  1. in Article 19, paragraph 1, point (f) is replaced by the following:

    1. a visual inspection of the gastro-intestinal tract, the mesentery, the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes (Lnn. gastrici, mesenterici, craniales and caudales);’;

  2. Article 20 is amended as follows:

    1. the title is replaced by the following:

      ‘Young domestic sheep and goats’;

    2. in paragraph 1, the introductory sentence is replaced by the following:

      ‘Carcases and offal of sheep and goats not having any permanent incisor erupted or of sheep and goats less than 12 months of age shall undergo the following post-mortem inspection procedures:’;

  3. Article 21 is amended as follows:

    1. in paragraph 1, the introductory sentence is replaced by the following:

      ‘Carcases and offal of sheep and goats having a permanent incisor erupted or of sheep and goats which are 12 months of age or more shall undergo the following post-mortem inspection procedures:’;

    1. in paragraph 2, point (b) is replaced by the following:

      1. an incision of the lungs, trachea, and the bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes;’.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 5 November 2025.

For the Commission

The President

Ursula von der Leyen