L115/32 Official Journal of the European Communities 4.5.1999 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 1999/29/EC of 22 April 1999 on the undesirable substances and products in animal nutrition THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parlia- ment ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), (1) Whereas Council Directive 74/63/EEC of 17 December 1973 on the undesirable substances in animal nutrition () has been frequently and substantially amended; whereas for reasons of clarity and rationality the said Directive should be consolidated; (2) Whereas livestock production occupies a very important place in the agriculture of the Community; whereas satisfactory results depend to a large extent on the use of appropriate good- quality feedingstuffs; (3  Whereas the existence of rules concerning feeding- stuffs is essential to an increase in agricultural productivity; (4 Whereas feedingstuffs often contain undesirable substances or products which can endanger animal health or, because of their presence in livestock products, human health; (5)  Whereas it is impossible to exclude totally the presence of the substances and products in ques- tion; whereas it is important that their content in feedingstuffs should be reduced in order to prevent undesirable and harmful effects; whereas it is at present impossible to fix this content below the levels detectable by methods of analysis to be defined for the Community; (6)  Whereas undesirable substances and products may be present in feedingstuffs only in accordance with the conditions laid down in this Directive and may not be used in any other way for the purposes of animal feeding; whereas this Directive should therefore apply without prejudice to other Community provisions on feedingstuffs, and partic- () Opinion delivered on 9 February 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () OJ C 153, 38.5.1996, p. 49. () OJ L 38, 11.2.1974, p. 31. Directive as last amended by Commission Directive 98/60/EC (O] L 209, 25.7.1998, p. 50). (1) (12) ularly the rules applicable to compound feeding- stuffs; Whereas Member States should, however, retain the power to allow, under certain conditions, feedingstuffs  having levels of undesirable substances and products higher than those provided for in Annex I; Whereas this Directive must apply to feed ma- terials and feedingstuffs from the date of their introduction into the Community; whereas it should therefore be stipulated that the maximum levels of undesirable substances or products set apply in general from the date on which the feed materials and feedingstuffs are put into circulation, including all stages of marketing, and in particular from the date of their importation; Whereas it is advisable to establish the principle that raw materials used in animal nutrition must be sound, genuine and of merchantable quality; whereas, therefore, it is necessary to prohibit the use or putting into circulation of feed materials which, because they contain too high a level of undesirable substances or products, result in the maximum levels for compound feedingstuffs laid down in Annex I being exceeded; Whereas it is proper to limit the presence of certain undesirable substances or products in complementary feedingstuffs by fixing appropriate maximum levels; Whereas Member States should retain the power, if animal or human health is endangered, to reduce temporarily the fixed maximum permissible levels or to fix maximum levels for other substances or products or to prohibit the presence of such substances or products in feedingstuffs; whereas in order that a Member State should not abuse that power, possible amendments to Annexes I and II based on supporting documents should be decided on by emergency Community procedure; Whereas feedingstuffs satisfying the requirements of this Directive should not be subject, with regard to their level of undesirable substances and prod- ucts, to restrictions on their entry into circulation other than those provided for in this Directive;