Member States shall ensure that the animals, semen, ova and embryos covered by this Directive are imported into the Community only if they:

• are accompanied by a certificate to be drawn up by the official veterinarian.

  The specimen certificate shall, depending on the species, be drawn up under the procedure laid down in Article 26,

• have satisfied the checks required by Directives 90/675/EEC and 91/496/EEC22,
• have undergone, prior to shipment to Community territory, a check by an official veterinarian to ensure that the transport conditions specified in Directive 91/628/EEC23 have been complied with, in particular as regards watering and feeding,

• have, in the case of the animals referred to in Articles 5 to 10, been quarantined before being placed on the market, in accordance with detailed rules to be established under the procedure laid down in Article 26.

Pending the establishment of specific rules for this Article, the national rules applicable to imports from third countries for which such requirements have not been adopted at Community level shall continue to apply, provided they are not more favourable than those laid down in Chapter II.