. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/18
12 January 2000
(00-0121)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN UNION
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   European Commission
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:   EC- TBT Enquiry Point, DG III-B/4
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):
Cuts of chickens
Boneless CN 0207 1310, 1410
Leg quarters 1320, 1420
Breasts 1350, 1450
Legs 1360; 1460
Legs with portion of the back 1370, 1470
Cuts of turkeys
Boneless N 0207 2610, 2710
Breasts 2650, 2750
Drumsticks 2660, 2760
Thighs 2670, 2770
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Draft Commission
Regulation Amending Regulation (EEC) No 1538/91 Introducing Detailed Rules for
Implementing Regulation (EEC) No 1906/90 on Certain Marketing Standards for PoultryMeat  (9 pages, EN)
6. Description of content:  This draft Regulation aims to adapt COM Regulation (EEC)
No 1538/911 regarding the minimum age of young geese at slaughter under specific types of
farming and the update of national reference laboratories.  Its main content is to lay down
detailed rules for the monitoring of maximum water content in certain chicken and turkey
cuts in slaughterhouses, cutting plants and at other stages of marketing.  The verification is
based on the in-plant testing of carcass water uptake in slaughterhouses and on thedetermination of the water/protein ratio in cuts at all other stages of marketing.
                                                     
1 OJ L 143, 7.6.1991, p. 11.G/TBT/Notif.00/18
Page 2
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Since 1990 the common marketing standards (Council Regulation (EEC) No 1906/902,
Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1538/91) covered the verification of the water content of
frozen and quick-frozen chickens.  In 1998, the Council extended the scope of application
of these standards to include the verification of the water content of poultry cuts(Regulation (EC) No 1101/98
3).  The detailed implementing rules must be laid down in a
Commission Regulation.
The methods for determining water and protein content are based on ISO standards and
were tested in an EU comparative trial.          
8. Relevant documents:   Draft Regulation doc. VI/8025/98 rev. 5 and the abovementioned
Regulations.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  15 February 2000
Proposed date of entry into force:  7 days after publication in the Official Journal
10. Final date for comments:   60 days after this notification
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  ] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:
EC-TBT Enquiry point
DGIII/B/4
Fax: +32 2 299 57 25
E-mail: EC-TBT@cec.eu.int
                                                     
2 OJ L 173, 6.7.1990, p. 1.
3 OJ L 157, 30.5.1998, p. 12.