1.9.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L 234/55 DIRECTIVE 2001/46/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 July 2001 amending Council Directive 95/53/EC fixing the principles governing the organisation of official inspections in the field of animal nutrition and Directives 70/524/EEC, 96/25/EC and 1999/29/EC on animal nutrition THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 152(4)(b) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having consulted the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (%), Whereas: (1) The safety of products destined for animal nutrition is of primary concern and it is necessary to ensure that prod- ucts put into circulation in the Community for the purposes of animal nutrition are safe. Council Directive 95/53/EC of 25 October 1995 fixing the principles governing the organisation of official inspections in the field of animal nutrition (*) contributes to the achieve- ment of that objective. (2)  Council Directive 74[63[/EEC has been repealed by Article 16 of Council Directive 1999/29/EC of 22 April 1999 on undesirable substances and products in animal nutrition (°). Therefore, references to Directive 74/ 63/EEC have to be amended pursuant to the Table in Annex IV to Directive 1999/29/EC. (3)  As regards the reference to the circulation of products to be used in animal nutrition, it is necessary to harmonise the definitions used by Directives 70/524/EEC (%), 95/ 53/EC and 96/25/EC () in the animal nutrition sector. (4)  Serious dioxin contamination recently occurred twice in products to be used in animal nutrition. Taking into account the experience gained from these incidents, it is (') OJ C 274 E, 26.9.2000, p. 28 and O] C 96 E, 27.3.2001, p. 279. () O] C 367, 20.12.2000, p. 11. (*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 4 October 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal), Council Common Position of 12 February 2001 (O] C 93, 23.3.2001, p. 1) and Decision of the European Parliament of 15 May 2001 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Council Decision of 19 June 2001. (*) OJ L 265, 8.11.1995, p. 17. Directive as last amended by Directive 2000/77[EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (O] L 333, 29.12.2000, p. 81). () OJ L 115, 4.5.1999, p. 32. (®) Council Directive 70/524/EEC of 23 November 1970 concerning additives in feeding stuffs (O] L 270, 14.12.1970, p. 1). Directive as last amended by Directive 1999/20/EC (O) L 80, 25.3.1999, p. 20). () Council Directive 96/25/EC of 29 April 1996 on the circulation of feed materials (O] L 125, 23.5.1996, p. 35). Directive as last amended by Directive 2000/16/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (O] L 105, 3.5.2000, p. 36). necessary to improve the procedures applicable to cases where a product for animal nutrition poses a serious risk to human or animal health or to the environment or where certain infringements of Directive 1999/29/EC are detected. The aim is in this way to improve the manage- ment of risks which would preclude the level of protec- tion of human or animal health and of the environment provided for in the Community Regulation on animal nutrition while not trivialising those special procedures by systematically applying them to minor problems. A Commission inspection carried out following dioxin contamination of the feed and food chain revealed that Member States had had difficulty in managing such an unusual crisis. In the light of the experience gained, and in order to ensure that serious risks involving a product for animal nutrition are managed with equivalent guar- antees of efficiency throughout the Community, it is necessary to introduce provisions requiring the Members States to have in place contingency operational plans to deal with emergencies in the animal nutrition sector. Where a serious risk to human or animal health or to the environment arises in a Member State due to prod- ucts for animal nutrition, and where that risk cannot be contained satisfactorily by the Member State(s) concerned, it is indispensable for the Commission to be able to take all the necessary precautionary measures and to have in particular the authority to suspend trade in, and exports of, products for animal nutrition from all or part of the Member State concerned or to establish special conditions for the relevant products or substances. Directive 1999/29/EC  establishes the maximum permitted levels for certain undesirable substances and products in feed materials and feeding stuffs. A system has already been established to enable the Member States to be informed by operators, at all stages of the feed producing chain, of certain cases of non compliance with the rules on undesirable products and substances. In view of both the experience gained and the similar arrangements provided for in the Community rules on general product safety, that system should be improved and extended to render it applicable to all