2008/55/EC: Commission Decision of 20 December 2007 concerning a financial contribution from the Community towards a survey on the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in herds of breeding pigs to be carried out in the Member States (notified under document number C(2007) 6579)

This Decision lays down rules on the financial contribution from the Community towards baseline surveys to be carried out in the Member States to assess the prevalence of Salmonella spp. (the Salmonella survey) and Methicilline-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (the MRSA survey) across the Community in breeding pigs sampled at farm level.

For the purposes of this Decision, ‘competent authority’ shall be the authority or authorities of a Member State as designated pursuant to Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003.

1 The Member States shall carry out the Salmonella survey in accordance with Parts A and B of Annex I until 31 December 2008.

2 The Member States shall carry out the MRSA survey in accordance with Parts A and C of Annex I until 31 December 2008.

Sampling and analysis shall be performed by the competent authority or under its supervision in accordance with the technical specifications set out in Annex I.

1 The financial contribution from the Community towards the costs of analyses pursuant to this Decision shall be granted to the Member States up to the maximum total amount for co-financing set out in Annex II to this Decision for the duration of the surveys provided for in this Decision.

2 The financial contribution from the Community provided for in paragraph 1 shall be granted to the Member States provided that the Salmonella and MRSA surveys are implemented in accordance with the relevant provisions of Community law, including the rules on competition and on the award of public contracts, and subject to compliance with the following conditions: (a) the national laws, regulations and administrative provisions required to implement the survey must enter into force on the day of application of this Decision at the latest; (b) a progress report containing the information listed in Part D of Annex I and covering the first three months of the surveys must be submitted to the Commission by 31 May 2008 at the latest. (c) a final report on the implementation of the surveys, together with supporting evidence for the costs incurred by the Member States for the analyses and the results attained during the period from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008 must be submitted to the Commission by 31 March 2009 at the latest; (d) the surveys must be implemented effectively. The supporting evidence for the costs incurred as referred to in point (c) of the second paragraph shall comprise at least the information set out in Annex III.

3 If the final report referred to in paragraph 2(c) is submitted after 31 March 2009 but before 30 April 2009, the financial contribution to be paid by the Community shall be reduced by 25 %. If the final report is submitted after 30 April 2009 but before 31 May 2009, the financial contribution shall be reduced by 50 %. No financial contribution shall be paid if the final report is submitted after 31 May 2009.

1 The maximum amounts of the financial contribution from the Community towards the costs to be reimbursed to the Member States for analyses covered by the Salmonella survey shall not exceed the following: (a) EUR 20 per test for bacteriological detection of Salmonella spp.; (b) EUR 30 for serotyping of the relevant isolates.

2 The maximum amounts of the financial contribution from the Community towards the costs to be reimbursed to the Member States for analyses covered by the MRSA survey shall not exceed the following: (a) EUR 30 per test for bacteriological detection of MRSA; (b) EUR 8 per identification of the presence of MRSA by PCR; (c) EUR 25 per Staphylococcus type A typing (Spa typing); (d) EUR 150 per multi locus sequence typing (MLST) of relevant isolates; (e) EUR 1,25 per swab.

1 The competent authority responsible for preparing the yearly national report pursuant to Article 9(1) of Directive 2003/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council shall collect and assess the results of the surveys and forward them to the Commission.

2 The Commission shall forward the national data and the assessment referred to in paragraph 1 to the European Food Safety Authority, which shall examine them.

3 National data and results shall be made publicly available in a form that ensures confidentiality.

Where a Member State’s expenditure is in a currency other than euro, the Member State concerned shall convert its expenditure into euro by applying the most recent exchange rate set by the European Central Bank prior to the first day of the month in which the application for the financial contribution from the Community is submitted by the Member State.

Decision 2007/636/EC is hereby repealed.

This Decision shall apply from 1 January 2008.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.