L 163/6 Official Journal of the European Union 24.6.2008 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 589/2008 of 23 June 2008 laying down detailed rules for implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards marketing standards for eggs THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agri- cultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agri- cultural products (Single CMO Regulation) ('), and in particular Article 121(d) in conjunction with Article 4 thereof, Whereas: (1) As of 1 July 2008, Council Regulation (EC) No 1028/2006 of 19 June 2006 on marketing standards for eggs(?) is repealed by Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007. (2)  Certain provisions and obligations laid down in Regu- lation (EC) No 1028/2006 have not been incorporated in Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007. (3)  Certain appropriate provisions and obligations should therefore be adopted within the framework of a regu- lation laying down detailed rules for implementing Regu- lation (EC) No 1234/2007 in order to ensure the continuity and smooth running of the common organ- isation of the market, and in particular marketing standards. (4)  Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 lays down the basic requirements which eggs must satisfy to be marketed in the Community. For the sake of clarity, new detailed rules for the implementation of those requirements should be laid down. Commission Regulation (EC) No 557/2007 (}), which laid down detailed rules for the application of Regulation (EC) No 1028/2006, should therefore be repealed and replaced by a new Regulation. () OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 510/2008 (O] L 149, 7.6.2008, p. 61). ®) O] L 186, 7.7.2006, p. 1. () OJ L 132, 24.5.2007, p. 5. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1336/2007 (OJ L 298, 16.11.2007, p. 3). (5)  Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (¥) and Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin °) apply to eggs. Therefore, reference should be made to the extent possible to those horizontal Regulations. (6)  The quality characteristics for Class A eggs should be fixed in order to guarantee the high quality of eggs to be delivered directly to the final consumer and to set criteria that can be checked by inspection services. Such quality characteristics should be based on Standard No 42 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNJECE) concerning the marketing and commercial quality controls of eggs-in- shell moving in international trade between and to UN/ECE member countries. (7)  Cold eggs left out at room temperature may become covered in condensation, facilitating the growth of bacteria on the shell and probably their ingression into the egg. Therefore, eggs should be stored and transported preferably at a constant temperature, and should in general not be refrigerated before sale to the final consurmer. (8)  In general, eggs should not be washed or cleaned because such practices can cause damage to the egg shell, which is an effective barrier to bacterial ingress with an array of antimicrobial properties. However, some practices, such as the treatment of eggs with ultra-violet rays, should not be interpreted as constituting a cleaning process. Moreover, Class A eggs should not be washed because of the potential damage to the physical barriers, such as the cuticle, which can occur during or after washing. Such damage may favour trans-shell contamination with bacteria and moisture loss and thereby increase the risk to consumers, particularly if subsequent drying and storage conditions are not optimal. () O] L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 1. Corrected version in O] L 226, 25.6.2004, p. 3. () O] L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 55. Corrected version in O] L 226, 25.6.2004, p. 22. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regu- lation (EC) No 1243[2007 (O] L 281, 25.10.2007, p. 8).