19. 6. 97 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 162/17 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1112/97 of 18 June 1997 adopting exceptional support measures for the beef market in Ireland in application of Decision 97/312/EC THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 805/68 of 27 June 1968 on the common organization of the market in beef and veal ("), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2222/96 (%), and in particular Article 23 thereof, Whereas, by Decision 97/312/EC{®), the Commission approved a plan proposed by Ireland for measures to be implemented as regards bovine spongiform encephal- opathy (BSE) in that Member State; Whereas the principal elements of the plan are inter alia compulsory slaughter and destruction of suspect cases of BSE and, if confirmed, slaughter and destruction of all animals in herds where cases of BSE have occurred, and identification and slaughter of animals exposed to the same risks as the affected animals; Whereas these measures involve serious disturbances in the market of Ireland; whereas it is therefore necessary to take exceptional measures to support that market; Whereas it is appropriate to establish a scheme co-financed by the Community authorizing Ireland to purchase the animals concerned with a view to killing and subsequently destroying them; Whereas provision should be made for laboratory exam- ination of the brains from a sample of the animals slaughtered and for the use of a limited number of animals for research or educational purposes; Whereas it is appropriate, to provide for a Community contribution of 70 % of the purchase price paid by Ireland for each animal destroyed pursuant to this Regula- tion; Whereas, for the purpose of establishing the animal’s market value, Ireland should set up a system securing a fair and objective evaluation of each animal; Whereas, it is necessary to ensure that the animals concerned are killed and destroyed in a hygienic manner; () OJ No L 148, 28. 6. 1968, p. 24. () OJ No L 296, 21. 11. 1996, p. 50. () OJ No L 133, 24. 5. 1997, p. 38. whereas the price paid to producers should compensate them for not selling the animals in question; whereas those animals must therefore be prohibited from being marketed; whereas it is therefore necessary to specify the conditions for the destruction of those animals and the controls to be carried out by the Irish authorities; Whereas, so as to avoid mixing of the animals to be slaughtered pursuant to this Regulation with animals not covered by this Regulation and the occurrence of mistakes as to identity, they should be kept separately in the lairage to a slaughterhouse, as well as in the slaughter- - house itself; Whereas, provision should be made for Commission experts to check compliance with the conditions as speci- fied; Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Beef and Veal, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. The competent authorities in Ireland shall be au- thorized to purchase any bovine animal present on a holding located in the territory of Ireland which has not shown any clinical sign of BSE and is to be slaughtered in accordance with Ireland’s eradication plan as approved by Decision 97/312/EC. 2. The animals referred to in paragraph 1 shall be killed in a specially designated slaughterhouse. The head, internal organs and carcases shall be permanently stained. The stained material shall be transported in sealed con- tainers to a specially authorized rendering plant for disposal in such a way that no part of it may be placed on the market. No part of the abovementioned animals may enter into the human food or animal feed chains or be used for cosmetic or pharmaceutical products. A repres- entative of the competent authorities in Ireland shall be present in the slaughterhouse referred to above in order to supervise the operations in question. Subject to the necessary control, after being killed in the specially designated slaughterhouse, the animals shall immediately be transported to a rendering plant for processing and destruction.