L 158/76 Official Journal of the European Communities 30.6.2000 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 29 June 2000 regulating the use of material presenting risks as regards transmissible spongiform encephalo- pathies and amending Decision 94/474[EC (notified under document number C(2000) 1735) (Text with EEA relevance) (2000/418/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Directive 89/662/EEC of 11 December 1989 concerning veterinary checks in infra- Community trade with a view to the completion of the internal market (1), as last amended by Directive 92/118/EEC (?), and in particular Article 9(4) thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in infra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market (), as last amended by Directive 92/118/EEC, and in particular Article 10(4) thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 97/78/EC of 18 December 1997 laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on products entering the Community from third countries (%), and in particular Article 22 thereof, Whereas: (1)  Several distinct transmissible spongiform encephalo- pathies (TSEs) have been recognised for many years as occuring separately in humans and animals. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was first recognised in bovine animals in 1986 and in following years was recognised as occurnng in other species of animals. A new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (v-CJD) was 1 () O] L 395, 30.12.1989, p. 13. () O] L 62, 15.3.1993, p. 49. () O] L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 29. () O] L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 9. described in 1996. Evidence is accumulating that the agent causing BSE is identical to that causing v-CJD. The Scientific Veterinary Committee in its opinion of 21 October 1996, recommended on the basis of its risk assessment that specified risk materials, defined as brain, spinal cord and eyes from cattle, sheep and goats over one year of age and spleens from sheep and goats over six months of age, should be removed from all human food and animal feed chains in countries or regions where a potential risk was identified. It also recom- mended that, in the case of fallen bovine animals, sheep and goats, either the specified risk materials should be removed so that they do not enter any human food or animal feed chain, or the whole carcass should be destroyed. The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) adopted an opinion on 9 December 1997. It suggested a new and enlarged list of specified risk materials and proposed that those materials should be excluded temporarily from human and animal consumption depending on the geographical source. It added dura mater, pituitary, dorsal root ganglia, vertebral column, intestine and lung when animals are killed by certain slaughter techniques, to the list recommended by the above opinion of the Scientific Veterinary Committee of 21 October 1996. The SSC adopted on 14 April 2000 an opinion on the United Kingdom decision to lift the ban on the consumption of meat on the bone. It concluded that the risk from meat on the bone is negligible if the bones are not from the vertebral column or skull. It furthermore concluded that the combined effect of several protection measures in the United Kingdom results in an extremely