6.10.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 275/51 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION 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 (notified under document number C(2006) 4306) (2006/668/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: (1) Pursuant to Decision 90/424/EEC the Community is 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. (2 Under Article 4 of 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 (?), a Community target is to be established for reducing the prevalence of Salmonella in populations of herds of slaughter pigs by the end of 2007. (3)  The Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted an opinion on the request from the Commission related to (") OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19. Decision as last amended by Decision 2006/53EC (O] L 29, 2.2.2006, p. 37). (® OJ L 325,12.12.2003, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1003/2005 (O] L 170, 1.7.2005, p. 12). Risk assessment and mitigation options of Salmonella in pig production’, during its meeting of 16 March 2006. The opinion proposes technical specifications for a baseline study on the prevalence of Salmonella in fattening pigs in the EU. In order to set the Community target, comparable data on the prevalence of Salmonella in populations of slaughter pigs in the Member States needs to be available. Such information is not at hand and a special survey should therefore be carried out to monitor the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs over a suitable period in order to take account of possible seasonal variations. The EFSA opinion recommends slaughterhouse sampling by taking ileocaecal lymph nodes to reflect the Salmonella status of the pig sent to slaughter. Such sampling should therefore be used as a tool to monitor the prevalence of Salmonella in slaughter pigs. It is opportune to use this baseline survey also to evaluate the effect of contami- nation of the pigs during transport and lairage, and contamination of the carcase during the slaughter process by taking carcase swabs. In addition, serological methods have been developed to assess the Salmonella status of a pig and may be used for monitoring Salmonella in pigs within the frame of national control programmes to be implemented in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003. A number of Member States volunteered to carry out the additional analyses by taking carcase swabs or carrying out serology on meat juice.