Commission Decision

of 15 July 2004

implementing Council Directive 64/432/EEC as regards additional guarantees for intra-Community trade in bovine animals relating to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and the approval of the eradication programmes presented by certain Member States

(notified under document number C(2004) 2104)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2004/558/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 64/432/EEC of 26 June 1964 on animal health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine1, and in particular Articles 9(2) and 10(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis is the description of the most prominent clinical signs of the infection with the bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV1). As many infections with that virus run a subclinical course, control measures should be directed to the eradication of the infection rather than to the suppression of symptoms.

(2)

Annex E (II) to Directive 64/432/EEC lists ‘infectious bovine rhinotracheitis’ among the diseases for which national control programmes may be approved and additional guarantees requested.

(3)

Germany had submitted a programme conducted with the aim of eradicating the BHV1 infection in all parts of its territory, which complies with the criteria set out in Article 9(1) of Directive 64/432/EEC and provides for rules for the national movement of bovine animals which are equivalent to those previously implemented in Austria, the Province of Bolzano in Italy and Sweden which were successful in eradicating the disease from those countries.

(4)
The programme presented by Germany and, as requested by that Member State, the additional guarantees in relation to trade in bovine animals in order to secure the success of that programme were approved by Decision 2004/215/EC of 1 March 2004 implementing Council Directive 64/432/EEC as regards additional guarantees for intra-Community trade in bovine animals relating to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and the approval of the eradication programmes presented by certain Member States2.
(5)

Additional guarantees exist as regards Denmark, Austria, Finland and Sweden as well as Italy, concerning the province of Bolzano. Those Member States consider that their territory is free from infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and Italy takes the same view for the Province of Bolzano. In accordance with Article 10(1) of Directive 64/432/EEC, they submitted supporting documentation to the Commission, in particular substantiating that monitoring of the situation is continued.

(6)
To Member States or regions thereof that are recognised as being free of that disease and which are currently listed in the Annex to Commission Decision 93/42/EEC3 only minimum requirements for the dispatch of bovine animals for breeding and production to other Member States should apply.
(7)
For the standardisation of BHV1 tests in laboratories the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has adopted a strong positive, a weak positive and negative serum as OIE international standards for BHV1 tests which are available at the OIE Reference Laboratories for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis mentioned in the Manual of Standards for Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines4.
(8)

Problems have been encountered in relation to intra-Community trade in bovine animals originating in Member States of different status with regard to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis.

(9)

For reasons of clarity and in order to ensure the linguistic consistency of the measures, it is appropriate to combine in a single Decision the approval of the German programme and the additional guarantees for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and to repeal Decision 2004/215/EC.

(10)

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: