30. 7. 92 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 214/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2137/92 of 23 July 1992 concerning the Community scale for the classification of carcases of ovine animals and determining the Community standard quality of fresh or chilled sheep carcases and extending Regulation (EEC) No 338/91 THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3013/89 of 25 September 1989 on the common organization of the market in the sheepmeat and goatmeat sector ('), and in particular Article 4 (2) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas a carcase classification standard is necessary in order to improve market transparency in this sector; Whereas the classification must be made on the basis of conformation and the degree of fat cover; whereas the combination of these two criteria enables carcases of ovine animals to be divided into classes ; whereas classi- fied carcases must be identified ; Whereas, however, other criteria, in particular weight, meat colour and fat cover, may be used for the classifica- tion of carcases of lambs less than 13 kg weight ; whereas Member States wishing to use these criteria inform the Commission and other Member States ; Whereas, in order to ensure the uniform application of this Regulation in the Community, provision should be made for on-the-spot checks by a Community inspection group ; Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 338/91 of 5 February 1991 determining the Community standard quality of fresh or chilled sheep carcases (?) applied for the 1991 and 1992 marketing years pending the setting up of Community carcase classification standards ; () OJ No L 289, 7. 10. 1989, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1741/91 (O] No L 163, 13. 6. 1991, p41). (® OJ No L 41, 14. 2. 1991, p.l. Whereas it is not appropriate to set up the standards in question at present ; whereas it is preferable to first gain some experience, acquired over a sufficiently long period with regard to the application of the classification scale as provided for under this Regulation ; whereas it is therefore necessary to extend the application of Regulation (EEC) No 338/91 by a marketing year, with the exception of the measure provided for in Article 7 in Regulation (EEC) No 3013/89, for which the application should be extended until 30 June 1994; Whereas it appears appropriate to set as an objective the compulsory application of the Community scale after a sufficiently representative transitional period for all the slaughterhouses approved for intra-Community trade ; whereas, however, for reasons of sound administration, this compulsory application need not concern small slaugtherhouses situated in regions where the impact on the market price produced by the volume slaughtered in such slaughterhouses is negligible, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1 This Regulation governs the provisions concerning the Community scale for the classification of sheep carcases. Article 2 For the purpose of carcase classification, the following presentations shall apply : (a) carcase: the whole body of a slaughter animal as presented after bleeding, evisceration and skinning, presented without the head (severed at the atlanto- occipital joint), the feet (severed at the carpo- metacarpal or tarso-metatarsal joints), the tail (severed between the sixth and seventh caudal vertebrae), the udder, the genitalia, the liver and the pluck. Kidneys and kidney fat are included in the carcase ;