Commission Decision of 6 January 2011 concerning certain interim protection measures against foot-and-mouth disease in Bulgaria (notified under document C(2011) 70) (Text with EEA relevance) (2011/8/EU)

Article 5 Dairy products

1. Bulgaria shall not dispatch dairy products produced from colostrums and milk from animals of species susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease intended or not intended for human consumption from the areas listed in Annex I.

2. The prohibition set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to dairy products:

(a) produced before the date of application of this Decision; or

(b) prepared from milk complying with the provisions in Article 4(2) or (3); or

(c) for export to a third country where import conditions permit such products to be subject to treatment other than those laid down in Article 4(2) which ensures the inactivation of the foot-and-mouth disease virus.

3. Without prejudice to Chapter II of Section IX of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, the prohibition set out in paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to the following dairy products intended for human consumption:

(a) dairy products produced from milk of a controlled pH less than 7,0 and subject to a heat treatment at a temperature of at least 72 °C for at least 15 seconds, on the understanding that such treatment was not necessary for finished products, the ingredients of which comply with the respective animal health conditions laid down in Articles 2, 3 and 4 of this Decision;

(b) dairy products produced from raw milk of bovine, ovine or caprine animals which have been resident for at least 30 days on a holding situated, within an area listed in Annex I, in the centre of a circle of at least 10 km radius in which no outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has occurred during 30 days prior to the date of production of the raw milk, and subject to a maturation or ripening process of at least 90 days during which the pH is lowered below 6,0 throughout the substance, and the rind of which has been treated with 0,2 % citric acid immediately prior to wrapping or packaging.

4. The prohibition set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to dairy products prepared in establishments situated in the areas listed in Annex I under the following conditions:

(a) all milk used in the establishment either complies with the conditions laid down in Article 4(2) or is obtained from animals outside the areas listed in Annex I;

(b) all dairy products used in the final products either comply with the conditions set out in paragraph 2(a) and (b) or paragraph 3 or are made from milk obtained from animals outside the areas listed in Annex I;

(c) the establishment is operated under strict veterinary control;

(d) the dairy products are clearly identified and transported and stored separately from milk and dairy products which are not eligible for dispatch outside the areas listed in Annex I.

Compliance with the conditions set out in the first subparagraph shall be checked by the competent authority under the responsibility of the central veterinary authorities.

The central veterinary authorities shall communicate to the other Member States and the Commission a list of the establishments which they have approved for the purposes of application of this paragraph.

5. The prohibition set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to dairy products prepared in establishment situated outside the areas listed in Annex I using milk obtained before the date of application of this Decision, provided that the dairy products are clearly identified and transported and stored separately from dairy products which are not eligible for dispatch outside those areas.

6. Dairy products dispatched from Bulgaria to other Member States shall be accompanied by an official certificate, which shall bear the following words:

‘Dairy products conforming to Commission Decision 2011/8/EU of 6 January 2011 concerning certain interim protection measures against foot-and-mouth disease in Bulgaria(1).’

7. By way of derogation from paragraph 6 it shall be sufficient, in the case of dairy products which comply with the requirements of paragraph 2(a) and (b) and paragraphs 3 and 4 and have been processed in an establishment operating HACCP and an auditable standard operating procedure which ensures that standards for treatment are met and recorded, that compliance with those requirements is stated in the commercial document accompanying the consignment, endorsed in accordance with Article 9(1).

8. By way of derogation from paragraph 6 it shall be sufficient, in the case of dairy products which comply with the requirements of paragraph 2(a) and (b) and paragraphs 3 and 4 and which have been heat treated in hermetically sealed containers so as to ensure that they are shelf stable, to be accompanied by a commercial document stating the heat treatment applied.

(1)

OJ L 6, 11.1.2011, p. 15.’