Decision 2000/572/EC is amended as follows:

1. 1.

   Article 3 is replaced by the following:

   Article 3

   The importation of meat preparations is subject to the following conditions:

   1. 1.

      they have been produced in accordance with the relevant requirements laid down in Regulations (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council9, (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council10, (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council11 and (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council12 as specified in the health certificate referred to in Article 4(2) of this Decision;

   2. 2.

      they come from an establishment or establishments implementing a programme based on the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 852/2004;

   3. 3.

      they have been frozen at an internal temperature of not more than – 18 °C at the production plant or plants of origin.

2. 2.

   Article 4a is amended as follows:

   1. (a)

      in point (a), ‘Decision 94/984/EC’ is replaced by ‘Commission Decision 2006/696/EC13

   2. (b)

      in point (b), the words ‘Decision 94/984/EC’ are replaced by ‘Decision 2006/696/EC’.

3. 3.

   Annexes II and III are replaced by the text in the Annex to this Decision.

This Decision shall apply from 1 July 2008.

However, consignments of meat preparations for which health certificates were issued in accordance with the model established by Decision 2000/572/EC before the amendments introduced by the present Decision and with an issue date prior to 31 December 2008, shall be accepted for import into the Community until 1 April 2009.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.