S.I. No. 216/1994 - European Communities (Pig Carcase (Grading)) (Amendment) Regulations, 1994.


S.I. No. 216 of 1994.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (PIG CARCASE (GRADING)) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1994.

I, JOE WALSH, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the European Communities Act, 1972 (No. 27 of 1972), and for the purpose of giving effect to Commission Decision 87/293/EEC of 18 May 1987,(1) as amended by Commission Decision 89/52 EEC of 21 December 1988,(2) Commission Decision 93/320/EEC of 6 May 1993,(3) and by Commission Decision 94/362/EC of 20 June 1994,(4) and Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3220/84 of 13 November 1984,(5) as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No. 3513/93 of 14 December 1993,(6) hereby make the following Regulations:

(1)O.J. No. L146, 6-6-1987, p66.

(2)O.J. No. L20, 25-1-1989, p33.

(3)O.J. No. L123, 19-5-1993, p34.

(4)O.J. No. L159, 28-6-1994, p61.

(5)O.J. No. L301, 20-11-1984, p1.

(6)O.J. No. L320, 22-12-1993, p5.

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the European Communities (Pig Carcase (Grading)) (Amendment) Regulations, 1994, and shall come into operation on the 25th day of July, 1994.

(2) The European Communities (Pig Carcase (Grading)) Regulations, 1988 and 1993, and these Regulations may be cited together as the European Communities (Pig Carcase (Grading)) Regulations, 1988 and 1994.

2. In these Regulations—

"the Principal Regulations" means the Pig Carcase (Grading) Regulations, 1988 ( S.I. No. 365 of 1988 );

"the Regulations of 1993" means the European Communities (Pig Carcase (Grading)) (Amendment) Regulations, 1993 ( S.I. No. 313 of 1993 );

"the (No. 2) Regulations of 1993" means the European Communities (Pig Carcase (Grading)) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 1993 ( S.I. No. 405 of 1993 ).

3. Regulation 3 of the Principal Regulations is hereby amended by—

( a ) the substitution in paragraph (1) in the definition (inserted by the Regulations of 1993) of "the Commission Decision" for "and Commission Decision 93/320/EEC of 6 May 1993;" of "Commission Decision 93/320/EEC of 6 May 1993 and Commission Decision 94/362/EC of 20 June 1994;"

( b ) the substitution in paragraph (1) in the definition of "the Council Regulations" for "and Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 2806/79 of 13 December 1979 as amended;" of "Commission Regulations (EEC) No. 2806/79 of 13 December 1979 as amended and Council Regulation (EC) No. 3513/93 of 14 December 1993;", and

( c ) the substitution for the definition of "pig carcase" of the following definition: '"pig carcase' means the body of a slaughtered pig, bled and eviscerated, whole or divided down the mid-line, without tongue, bristles, hooves, genital organs, flare fat, kidneys and diaphragm;"

4. Regulation 5 of the Principal Regulations is hereby revoked.

5. Regulation 6 of the Principal Regulations is hereby amended by the substitution for "Annex II" of "the Annex".

6. The Principal Regulations are hereby amended by the substitution for Annex I and Annex II (inserted by the (No. 2) Regulations of 1993) of the following Annex:

"Annex

Methods for Grading Pig Carcases in Ireland

Part I

Fat-O-Meater (FOM)

1. Grading of pig carcases is carried out by means of the apparatus termed "Fat-O-Meater (FOM)".

2. The apparatus shall be equipped with a probe of 6 millimetres diameter containing a photodiode of the Siemens SFH 950/960 type and having an operating distance of between 5 and 105 millimetres. The results of the measurements shall be converted into the estimated lean meat content by means of a computer.

3. The lean meat content of the carcase shall be calculated according to the following formula:

y

=

50.16-0.772x1 + 0.324x2

Where

y

=

the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcase,

x1

=

the thickness of backfat (including rind) in millimetres, measured 6 centimetres off the midline of the split carcase between the third and fourth last ribs,

x2 2

=

the thickness of muscle in millimetres, measured at the same time and in the same place as x1

This formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 40 and 100 kilograms.

Part II

Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP 2)

1. Grading of pig carcases is carried out by means of the apparatus termed "Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP2)".

2. The apparatus shall be equipped with a probe of 5.95 millimetres diameter (and of 6.3 millimetres at the blade on top of the probe) containing a photodiode (Siemens LED of the type LYU 260 — EO and photodetector of the type 58 MR) and having an operating distance of between 0 and 120 millimetres. The results of the measurements shall be transformed in terms of estimated lean meat content by means of the HGP 2 itself as well as a computer linked to it.

3. The lean meat content of the carcase shall be calculated according to the following formula:

y

=

53.41- 0.786x1 + 0.266x2

Where

y

=

the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcase,

x1

=

the thickness of backfat (including rind) in millimetres, measured 6 centimetres off the midline of the split carcase between the third and fourth last ribs,

x2

=

the thickness of muscle in millimetres, measured at the same time and in the sample place as x1

This formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 40 and 100 kilograms.

Part III

Introscope/midline

1. Grading of pig carcases is carried out by means of the method termed "Introscope/midline".

2. The Introscope shall be equipped with a hexagonal shaped probe of a maximum width of 12 millimetres (and of 19 millimetres at the blade on top of the probe) containing a viewing window and light source, a sliding barrel calibrated in millimetres and having an operating distance of between 8 and 50 millimetres.

3. The lean meat content of the carcase shall be calculated according the following formula:

y

=

67.57- 0.459x1 + 0.310x2

Where

y

=

the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcase,

x1

=

the thickness of backfat (including rind) in millimetres, measured 6 centimetres off the midline of the split carcase between the third and fourth last ribs,

x2

=

the minimum thickness of backfat (including rind) in millimetres, measured on the midline of the split carcase covering the lumbar muscle (M: glutaeus medius).

This formula shall be valid for carcases weighing between 40 and 100 kilograms."

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 14th day of July, 1994.

JOE WALSH,

Minister for Agriculture, Food

and Forestry.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations replace Annex II of the Pig Carcase (Grading) Regulations, 1988 by a new Annex, putting in place a new set of formulae for calculating the lean meat percentage of pig carcases.

The Regulations also amend the definition of "pig carcase" as laid down in the Pig Carcase (Grading) Regulations, 1988, by the exclusion of flare fat, kidneys and diaphragm.