11.8.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L 204/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) REGULATION (EC) No 1760/2000 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 37 and 152 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3), Acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251 of the Treaty (%), Whereas: (1)  Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 of 21 April 1997 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products (°), states that a compulsory beef labelling system is to be introduced and obligatory in all Member States from 1 January 2000 onwards. The same Article also provides that, on the basis of a Commission proposal, the general rules for that compulsory system are to be adopted before that date. (2)  Council Regulation (EC) No 2772/1999 of 21 December 1999 providing for the general rules for a compulsory beef labelling system (%) provides for these general rules to apply only temporarily for a maximum period of eight months, that is to say from 1 February to 31 August 2000. (3)  For the sake of clarity Regulation (EC) No 820/97 should be repealed and replaced by this Regulation. 1 () O] C 376E, 28.12.1999, p. 42. () O] C 117, 26.4.2000, p. 47. () O] C 226, 8.8.2000, p. 9. (*) European Parliament opinion of 12 April 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal), Council Common Position of 6 June 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and European Parliament Decision of 6 July 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () O] L 117, 7.5.1997, p. 1. () O] L 334, 28.12.1999, p. 1. (4)  Following the instability in the market in beef and beef products caused by the bovine spongiform encephalo- pathy crisis, the improvement in the transparency of the conditions for the production and marketing of the products concerned, particularly as regards traceability, has exerted a positive influence on consumption of beef. In order to maintain and strengthen the confidence of consumers in beef and to avoid misleading them, it is necessary to develop the framework in which the infor- mation is made available to consumers by sufficient and clear labelling of the product. (5) To that end it is essential to establish, on the one hand, an efficient system for the identification and registration of bovine animals at the production stage and to create, on the other hand, a specific Community labelling system in the beef sector based on objective criteria at the marketing stage. (6) By virtue of the guarantees provided through this improvement, certain public interest requirements will also be attained, in particular the protection of human and animal health. (7)  As a result, consumer confidence in the quality of beef and beef products will be improved, a higher level of protection of public health preserved and the lasting stability of the beef market will be reinforced. (8)  Article 3(1)(c) of Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market () states that animals for intra- Community trade must be identified in accordance with the requirements of Community rules and be registered in such a way that the original or transit holding, centre or organisation can be traced, and that before 1 January 1993 these identification and registration systems are to be extended to the movements of animals within the territory of each Member State. () OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 29. Directive as last amended by Directive 92/118/EEC (O] L 62, 15.3.1993, p. 49).