5.4.2007 Official Journal of the European Union L 95/41 COMMISSION DECISION of 30 March 2007 concerning a Community financial contribution towards a baseline survey on the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs to be carried out in Bulgaria and in Romania (notified under document number C(2007) 1394) (Only the Bulgarian and Romanian texts are authentic) (2007/219/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Decision 90/424/EEC of 26 June 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field (), and in particular Article 20 thereof, Whereas: Decision 90/424/EEC provides for Community financial contributions towards specific veterinary measures. It also provides for the Community to undertake or assist the Member States in undertaking the technical and scientific measures necessary for the development of veterinary legislation and for the development of veterinary education or training. Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 on the control of Salmonella and other specified food- borne zoonotic agents (3), provides that a Community target is to be established for the reduction of the prevalence of Salmonella in populations of herds of slaughter pigs by the end of 2007. During its meeting of 16 March 2006, the Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted an Opinion on the request from the Commission related to ‘Risk assessment and mitigation options of Salmonella in pig production’. That opinion proposes technical specifications for a baseline study on the prevalence of Salmonella in fattening pigs in the Community. (') OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19. Decision as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1791/2006 (O] L 363, 20.12.2006, p. 1). (®» OJ L 325, 12.12.2003, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 1791/2006. 4 In order to set the Community target, comparable data on the prevalence of Salmonella in populations of slaughter pigs in Bulgaria and in Romania needs to be available. Such information is presently not available and a special survey should therefore be carried out to monitor the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs over a suitable period in those Member States. A baseline study on Salmonella in fattening pigs is to be carried out by the other Member States between October 2006 and September 2007 in accordance with Commission Decision 2006/668/EC of 29 September 2006 concerning a financial contribution from the Community towards a baseline survey on the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs to be carried out in the Member States (). The same procedures should be used in the baseline studies in Bulgaria and in Romania. However, the period of the survey should be shortened in order to enable the analysis of the data of all Member States at the same time. The EFSA opinion recommends slaughterhouse sampling by taking ileocaecal lymph nodes to reflect the Salmonella status of pigs sent to slaughter. Such sampling should therefore be used as a tool to monitor the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs. The survey is to provide the technical information necessary for the development of Community veterinary legislation.  Given the importance of collecting comparable data on the prevalence of Salmonella in fattening pigs in Bulgaria and in Romania, those Member States should be granted a Community financial contribution for implementing the specific requirements of the survey. It is therefore appropriate to reimburse 100 % of the costs incurred in the laboratory testing, subject to a ceiling. All other costs, such as those relating to sampling, travel and adminis- tration should not be eligible for any Community financial contribution. () O] L 275, 6.10.2006, p. 51.