THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 89/662/EEC of 11 December 1989 concerning veterinary checks in intra-Community trade with a view to the completion of the internal market, and in particular Article 9(4) thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market, and in particular Article 10(4) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Following recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Great Britain, Commission Decision 2007/554/EC of 9 August 2007 concerning certain protection measures against foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom was adopted to reinforce the control measures against foot-and-mouth disease taken by that Member State in the framework of Council Directive 2003/85/EC of 29 September 2003 on Community measures for the control of foot-and-mouth disease.
(2)
Decision 2007/554/EC lays down rules applicable to the dispatch from high and low risk areas in Great Britain of products considered safe that either were produced before the restrictions were put in place in the United Kingdom, from raw material sourced from outside those restricted areas, or that have undergone a treatment proven effective in inactivating possible foot-and-mouth disease virus.
(3)
In the interests of clarity of Community legislation, it is appropriate to rephrase the first and second subparagraphs of Article 2(6) of Decision 2007/554/EC.
(4)
It is appropriate to permit, under specific certification conditions, the re-dispatch of frozen semen and embryos of the ovine and caprine species imported into the United Kingdom in accordance with Community legislation and stored separately from semen, ova and embryos not eligible for dispatch from the high and low risk areas listed in Annexes I and II to Decision 2007/554/EC. Additional certification conditions should be introduced and Article 6(2)(b) of that Decision should therefore be amended accordingly.
(5)
It is also appropriate to amend the certification requirements laid down in Decision 2007/554/EC as regards animal products, including petfood, that have undergone a heat treatment effectively inactivating the possible foot-and-mouth disease virus in the product concerned. Article 8(4) and (6) of that Decision should therefore be amended accordingly.
(6)
In addition, it is necessary to clarify which parts of the territory of the United Kingdom are concerned by the measures required to be taken by the other Member States in relation to animals of a susceptible species dispatched during the period when animals could have been dispatched from those parts of the United Kingdom not included in the surveillance zone established in the county of Surrey, in relation to the two outbreaks confirmed in August 2007. Article 13(2) of Decision 2007/554/EC should therefore be amended to refer specifically to Great Britain.
(7)
Decision 2007/554/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(8)
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: