Ministerial Decree implementing Regulation (EC) No. 1760/2000 establishing a compulsory system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the facultative labelling of beef and beef products.

The Act provides that the meat of bovine animals shall be identified and registered. The labelling shall indicate the reference number of the animal, the number of the slaughterhouse, the number of the laboratory where the animal was sliced. Therefore a compulsory labelling system shall ensure a link between, on the one hand, the identification of the carcass, quarter or pieces of meat and, on the other hand, the individual animal. In addition, from January 2002, the labelling shall indicate the Member State where the animal was fed and the name of the Member State where the animal was slaughtered and the number of the laboratory. Each keeper of animals shall keep an up-to-date register and report to the competent authority all movements to and from the holding and all births and deaths of animals on the holding, along with the dates of these events (20 articles).