L 155/74 Official Journal of the European Union 15.6.2007 COMMISSION DECISION of 14 June 2007 prohibiting the placing on the market of products derived from bovine animals born or reared within the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996 for any purpose and exempting such animals from certain control and eradication measures laid down in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 and repealing Decision 2005/598/EC (notified under document number C(2007) 2473) (Only the English text is authentic) (2007/411[EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European (4) Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 provides that, by way of derogation from complete destruction of all parts of the body of cohort animals, Member States may apply other measures offering an equivalent level of protection, if such measures have been approved in accordance with a committee procedure. Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down ©) ?:Eslig I\(/ilay 2(?06’ the.E.uropean F}? OdBEEfet}.’ kA g; ney rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain l() . ) acopted an opinion on the r‘f’ o transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (1), and in particular ovine hides coming from. cohort animals (). EFSA . pong pAdop p d that the production of leather made from Articles 13(1) and 13(3) thereof, recogruse pro S . the hides of cohort animals presents a negligible risk provided these animals are either slaughtered in dedicated premises or separated in time from normal Whereas: slaughter, their hides are clearly and immediately labelled before being transported direct to processing facilities and, in addition, that all tanned and un-tanned by-products are destroyed. (1)  Commission Decision 2005/598/EC of 2 August 2005 prohibiting the placing on the market of products derived from bovine animals born or reared within the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996 for any purpose (6)  On 12 March 2007, the United Kingdom presented an and exempting such animals from certain control and official protocol for channelling all hides coming from eradication measures laid down in Regulation (EC) No bovine animals born or reared before 1 August 1996 in 999/2001 () places a marketing ban on all products the United Kingdom (¥ (the official protocol). This consisting of or incorporating materials derived from protocol is entirely under official supervision and meets bovine animals born or reared in the United Kingdom the conditions recommended for cohort hides in the before 1 August 1996. However, by way of derogation, EFSA opinion adopted on 18 May 2006. milk and hides prepared for use for leather production can be placed on the market. (7 The United Kingdom should therefore be allowed to use cattle cohort hides deriving from bovine animals born or (2)  Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 lays down reared in the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996 for measures to be applied when the presence of bovine leather production. spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has been officially confirmed. One of these measures consists in the immediate and complete destruction of all parts of the body, including hide, of bovine animals belonging to the (8)  For legal reasons, Decision 2005/598/EC should be cohort of the animal in which BSE was confirmed. repealed and replaced by a new one whose provisions, except for those related to hides, are identical. (3)  Before August 1996, the identification system for cattle in the United Kingdom was insufficient to allow reliable (9)  The measures provided for in this Decision are in tracing of animals and accurate identification of cohorts of BSE-positive cases. Consequently, all cattle born before August 1996 are considered to be cohort animals. accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, (}) Available at http:/fwww.efsa.europa.eufen/science/biohaz/ () OJ L 147, 31.5.2001, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 1923/2006 (O] L 404, 30.12.2006, p. 1). (®) O] L 204, 5.8.2005, p. 22. biohaz_opinions/1575.html (*) Available at http://www.rpa.gov.uk/rpa/index.nsf/UIMenu/ DF2A12FDD9D660C1802570D2003EDO0C?Opendocument