24.9.91 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 268/41 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 27 November 1990 concerning public health and animal health problems affecting the production and placing on the _market of rabbit meat and farmed game meat ‘ (91/495/EEC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, .Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European "Economic Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3), Whereas rabbit meat and farmed game meat are included in the list of products in Annex Il to the Treaty; whereas rabbit and game farming are generally included in the farming sector; whereas this farming constitutes a source of income for part of the farming population; Whereas, in order to ensure the rational development of this sector and to improve productivity, rules concerning public health and animal health problems affecting the production and placing on the market of rabbit meat and farmed game meat must be laid down at Community level; Whereas disparities as regards animal health and public health conditions in the Member States should be eliminated in order to encourage intra-Community trade in rabbit meat and farmed game meat, with a view to the completion of the internal market; Whereas diseases transmissible to domestic animals and humans may be spread by rabbit meat and farmed game meat; whereas it is necessary to lay down rules enabling these risks to be controlled; Whereas the meat in question must be treated in good hygienic conditions in order to avoid food-borne infections and intoxications; (1) OJ No C 327, 30. 12. 1989, p. 40. (2) O No C 260, 15. 10. 1990, p. 154. - (3) OJ No C 124, 21. 5. 1990, p. 7. Whereas Council Directive 82/894/EEC of 21 December 1982 on the notification of animal diseases within the Community (*), as last amended by Directive 89/162/EEC (%), lays down the conditions for notification of animal diseases in the Community; whereas it is opportune | " to have, for certain contagious diseases affecting farmed game, the same information as for other domestic animals; Whereas Council Directive 64/433/EEC of 26 June 1964 on health problems affecting intra-Community trade in fresh meat (%), as last amended by Directive 89/662/EEC (7) and Council Directive 71/118/EEC of 15 February 1971 on health problems affecting trade in fresh poultrymeat (8), as last amended by Directive 90/539/EEC (), lay down the health requirements for, respectively, fresh meat and fresh poultrymeat; whereas farmed wildlife used for game production is similar to farmed mammals and farmed birds; whereas it is therefore opportune to extend to farmed game " meat, while taking into account certain specific aspects, the health rules already applied for trade in fresh meat and poultrymeat; Whereas it is appropriate to.lay down exceptions for small quantitites of rabbit meat and farmed game meat used for local trade; Whereas, in respect of the organization of, and the follow-up to, the checks to be carried out by the Member State of destination and the safeguard measures to be implemented, reference should be made to the general rules laid down in Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zoo-technical checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market (1°); Whereas the Commission should be entrusted with the task of adopting measures for applying this Directive; whereas, to that end, provision should be made for procedures establishing close and effective cooperation between the Commission and the Member States within the Standing Veterinary Committee, (*) O] No L 378, 31. 12. 1982, p. 58. (5) O] No L 61, 4. 3. 1989, p. 48. () OJ No 121, 29. 7. 1964, p. 2012/64. (") O] No L 395, 30. 12. 1989, p. 13. (*) OJ No L 55, 8. 3. 1971, p. 23. (*) OJ No L 303, 31. 10. 1990, p. 6. (*9) OJ No L 224, 18. 9. 1990, p. 29.