Commission Decision of 28 August 2006 laying down a list of third countries from which poultry, hatching eggs, day-old chicks, meat of poultry, ratites and wild game-birds, eggs and egg products and specified pathogen-free eggs may be imported into and transit through the Community and the applicable veterinary certification conditions, and amending Decisions 93/342/EEC, 2000/585/EC and 2003/812/EC (notified under document number C (2006) 3821) (Text with EEA relevance) (2006/696/EC) (repealed)

SECTION 1 General provisions

Article 4 General conditions for import and transit

1. Poultry, hatching eggs and day-old chicks imported into and transiting through the Community shall comply with the conditions laid down in Articles 5 to 14.

2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to single consignments of fewer than 20 units of poultry, hatching eggs or day-old chicks.

However, such single consignments may only be imported from third countries or parts thereof that are approved for such imports as they comply with the following conditions:

(a) the country or a part thereof is listed in columns 1 and 3 of the table in Part 1 of Annex I and column 4 of that table provides for a model veterinary certificate for the commodity concerned;

(b) they are not covered by an import ban;

(c) the importation conditions include the requirement for post-import isolation or quarantine. This provision does not apply to consignments of ratites or hatching eggs thereof.

Article 5 Place of origin

Poultry, hatching eggs and day-old chicks may only be imported into or transit through the Community from third countries or parts thereof listed in columns 1 and 3 of the table in Part 1 of Annex I where column 4 of that table provides for a model veterinary certificate for the commodity concerned.

Article 6 Health conditions and additional guarantees

1. Poultry, hatching eggs and day-old chicks shall meet the requirements laid down in the relevant veterinary certificate compiled using the corresponding model in Part 2 of Annex I, subject to the specific conditions set out in column 6 of the table in Part 1 of Annex I.

2. Where required by the Member State of destination under Community legislation, the additional guarantees for poultry, hatching eggs and day-old-chicks as specified for that Member State in column 5 of the table in Part 1 of Annex I shall be included in the veterinary certificate using the corresponding model in Part 2 of Annex I.

Article 7 Additional health requirements for poultry, hatching eggs and day-old chicks from third countries where vaccines used against Newcastle disease do not meet Community standards

1. Where third countries do not prohibit the use of vaccines against Newcastle disease not meeting the specific criteria set out in point 2 of Annex B to Decision 93/342/EEC, the following additional health requirements shall apply to poultry and day-old chicks imported there from:

(a) for at least 12 months preceding the date of export to the Community, they have not been vaccinated with such vaccines;

(b) not more than two weeks before the date of export to the Community or, in the case of hatching eggs, not earlier than two weeks before the date of collection of the eggs, the flocks have undergone a virus isolation test for Newcastle disease:

(i)

carried out in an official laboratory;

(ii)

on a random sample of cloacal swabs from at least 60 birds in each flock;

(iii)

in which no avian paramyxoviruses with an Intracerebral Pathogenicity Index of more than 0,4 have been found;

(c) during the two-week period referred to in (b), they have been kept in isolation under official surveillance on the holding of origin;

(d) during a period of 60 days before the date of export to the Community or, in the case of hatching eggs, during a period of 60 days before the date of collection of the eggs, they have not been in contact with poultry not meeting the requirements in (a) and (b).

2. Where day-old chicks are imported from a third country as referred to in paragraph 1, the hatching eggs from which they have hatched have not been in contact in the hatchery or during transport with poultry or hatching eggs not meeting the requirements in (a) to (d).

Article 8 Transport of poultry

1. Poultry shall not be loaded onto a means of transport carrying other poultry of a lower health status.

2. In the course of transport to the Community, poultry shall not be moved by road or rail through and not be unloaded in a third country or a part thereof that is not approved for imports into the Community of such poultry.

3. In the course of air transport, poultry shall not be unloaded in a third country or a part thereof that is not approved for imports of such poultry into the Community.