27.8.2004 Official Journal of the European Union L 278)7 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 15152004 of 26 August 2004 amending Regulation (EC) No 2295/2003 introducing detailed rules for implementing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90 on certain marketing standards for eggs THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90 of 26 June 1990 on certain marketing standards for eggs(!) and in particular Articles 5(3), 7(1)(d), 10(3), 20(1) and 22(2) thereof, Whereas: The experience gained in applying Commission Regu- lation (EC) No 2295/2003 (%) shows that adjustments should be made to certain provisions of that Regulation. The work of collectors involves collecting eggs from production sites and delivering them to packing centres and other establishments, including undertakings in the food and non-food industries. It should be specified which establishments such deliveries may be made to. The quality of eggs depends in part on how quickly they are collected from the production site and delivered to the packing centre. The fact that operators use different collecting and delivery procedures must not result in certain forms of organisation having an advantage over others. It is therefore necessary to specify the time limits applicable to the different practices used. The Community rules distinguish between operators according to the conditions in which they handle livestock products and do not require establishments to be approved where they merely engage in storage and transport  operations not calling for controlled temperatures. Accordingly, collectors who simply transport eggs between the production site and the estab- lishment which is to handle the eggs should be required only to register; detailed rules should be laid down regarding approval and separate formalities should be introduced for registering this category of collectors. (") OJ L 173, 6.7.1990, p. 5. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2052/2003 (O] L 305, 22.11.2003, p. 1). (®) OJ L 340, 24.12.2003, p. 16. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 818/2004 (O] L 153, 30.4.2004, p. 84). ©) (10) (11) Because eggs lose water and weight between the time they are laid and the date on which they are sold to the end consumer, it should be specified that the total net weight indicated when the eggs are packed must correspond at least to the total net weight of the eggs when they are sold to the end consumer. Grade A eggs may be delivered to the industry without having been graded by weight. The distinguishing marking ‘Grade A eggs’ should therefore be applied to containers delivered to the establishments concerned. The marking of eggs and packs as provided for in Articles 7 and 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/90 may be done on different dates. Those dates should be specified. In order to prevent fraud in the use of exclusive contracts as referred to in Article 8(5) of Regulation (EC) No 2295/2003, the Member States should be free to fix a minimum duration of more than one month for such contracts. In order to ensure proper traceability for eggs transferred from one packing centre to another, the first packing centre should be required to stamp the eggs before they are delivered to the second. The provisions of Article 12(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2295/2003 on grading, packing and delivery to another packing centre cause some confusion and duplicate Article 2. They should therefore be deleted. So that eggs are marked in the same way irrespective of rearing method, use of the codes set out in point 2.1. of the Annex to Commission Directive 2002/4/EC of 30 January 2002 on the registration of establishments keeping laying hens covered by Council Directive 1999/74[EC (%) should be allowed in all cases. () OJ L 30, 31.1.2002, p. 44. Directive as last amended by the 2003 Act of Accession.