Commission Decision of 13 July 2004 amending Decision 2003/828/EC as regards movements of animals vaccinated against bluetongue from protection zones (notified under document number C(2004) 1925) (Text with EEA relevance) (2004/550/EC)

Commission Decision

of 13 July 2004

amending Decision 2003/828/EC as regards movements of animals vaccinated against bluetongue from protection zones

(notified under document number C(2004) 1925)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2004/550/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 2000/75/EC of 20 November 2000 laying down specific provisions for the control and eradication of bluetongue(1), and in particular Article 9(1)(c) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Decision 2003/828/EC of 25 November 2003 on protection and surveillance zones in relation to bluetongue(2) was adopted in the light of the bluetongue situation prevailing in the affected regions of the Community. That Decision demarcates protection and surveillance zones (the restricted zones) corresponding to specific epidemiological situations and lays down the conditions for providing exemptions from the exit ban laid down in Directive 2000/75/EC (the exit ban) on movements of animals in and from those zones.

(2) A Symposium on bluetongue was organised by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE, World Organisation for Animal Health) from 26 to 29 October 2003. One of the conclusions of that Symposium was that animals may move from an infected zone to a bluetongue-free zone without posing a risk of virus spread if they have been vaccinated at least one month prior to the date of movement, provided that the vaccine used covers all serotypes present in the area of origin.

(3) Taking into account that conclusion, the conditions for movements of vaccinated animals laid down in Decision 2003/828/EC were amended, on the basis of the situation prevailing during the last quarter of 2003, by Decision 2004/34/EC in order to allow such movements without requiring the cessation of the virus circulation in the area of origin or of the vector activity in the area of destination. Nevertheless, as a precaution, Decision 2003/828/EC, as amended by Decision 2004/34/EC, provided that possibility only for domestic movements from areas where the vaccination had been completed according to the programme adopted by the competent authority of the Member State concerned.

(4) After the third vaccination campaign which was conducted during winter 2003 to 2004 and the general reduction of the virus circulation in all the restricted zones concerned, it is now possible to consider general conditions for national movements of vaccinated animals from any restricted zones without taking into consideration the residual virus circulation in the area of origin. Nevertheless, as a precaution, animals should come from herds vaccinated according to the programme adopted by the competent authority of the Member State concerned and the vector surveillance programme in an epidemiologically relevant area of destination should have proved no adult Culicoïdes imicola activity.

(5) Article 3(1) of Decision 2003/828/EC provides for exemptions from the exit ban for domestic movements of animals, their sperm, ova and embryos and applies to certain restricted zones in France and Italy. It is appropriate to correct a clerical error concerning the omission of Spain from Article 3(1) of that Decision.

(6) Decision 2003/828/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(7) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

(1)

OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 74.

(2)

OJ L 311, 27.11.2003, p. 41. Decision as amended by Decision 2004/34/EC (OJ L 7, 13.1.2004, p. 47).