PART II

DISEASE NOTIFICATION AND REPORTING, SURVEILLANCE, ERADICATION PROGRAMMES, DISEASE–FREE STATUS
CHAPTER 3

Eradication programmes

Compulsory and optional eradication programmes
Article 31
1
Member States which are not free, or not known to be free, from one or more of the listed diseases referred to in point (b) of Article 9(1) throughout their territory, or in zones or compartments thereof, shall:
a
establish a programme for the eradication of, or demonstration of freedom from, that listed disease, to be carried out in the animal populations concerned by that disease and covering the relevant parts of their territory or the relevant zones or compartments thereof (‘compulsory eradication programme’), to apply until the conditions for the grant of disease–free status in the territory of the Member State or zone concerned, as provided for in Article 36(1), or compartment, as provided for in Article 37(2), are fulfilled;
b
submit the draft compulsory eradication programme to the Commission for approval.
2
Member States which are not free, or not known to be free, from one or more of the listed diseases referred to in point (c) of Article 9(1) and which decide to establish a programme for the eradication of that listed disease, to be carried out in the animal populations concerned by the disease in question and covering the relevant parts of their territory or zones or compartments thereof (‘optional eradication programme’), shall submit a draft of that programme to the Commission for approval, where the Member State concerned asks for the recognition, within the Union, of animal health guarantees as regards the disease in question for movements of animals or products.
Such an optional eradication programme shall apply until:
a
the conditions for the grant of disease–free status in the territory of the Member State or zone concerned, as provided for in Article 36(1), or compartment, as provided for in Article 37(2), are fulfilled; or
b
it is established that the conditions for the grant of disease–free status cannot be achieved and that the programme no longer fulfils its purpose; or
c
the Member State concerned withdraws the programme.
3
The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, approve:
a
draft compulsory eradication programmes submitted to it for approval in accordance with paragraph 1;
b
draft optional eradication programmes submitted to it for approval in accordance with paragraph 2,
if the conditions set out in this Chapter are met.
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 266(2).
4
On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency relating to a listed disease representing a risk having a highly significant impact, the Commission shall adopt immediately applicable implementing acts provided for in point (a) of paragraph 3 of this Article in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 266(3).
The Commission may, for duly justified reasons, by means of implementing acts, approve an amendment proposed by the Member State concerned or withdraw the approval of eradication programmes approved in accordance with points (a) and (b) of paragraph 3 of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 266(2).
5
The Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 264 concerning:
a
the disease control strategies, intermediate and final targets for specific diseases, and period of application of eradication programmes;
b
derogations from the requirement for the submission of eradication programmes for approval, as provided for in point (b) of paragraph 1 of this Article and in paragraph 2 thereof, where such approval is not necessary due to the adoption of rules regarding those programmes in accordance with Articles 32(2) and 35;
c
the information to be provided by Member States to the Commission and to the other Member States concerning derogations from the requirement for approval of eradication programmes as provided for in point (b) of this paragraph.
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 264 amending or discontinuing rules adopted pursuant to point (b) of this paragraph.