Commission Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 lays down veterinary certification requirements for imports into and transit, including storage during transit, through the Union of poultry and poultry products (the commodities). It provides that the commodities are only to be imported into and transit through the Union from the third countries, territories, zones or compartments listed in columns 1 and 3 of the table in Part 1 of Annex I thereto.

Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 also lays down the conditions for a third country, territory, zone or compartment to be considered as free from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Japan is listed in the table in Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 as a third country from which imports into and transit through the Union of certain poultry commodities are authorised from the whole of its territory.

On 5 November 2020, Japan confirmed the presence of HPAI of subtype H5 in a poultry holding on its territory. Due to that confirmed outbreak of HPAI, Japan can no longer be considered as free from that disease and the veterinary authorities of Japan can therefore no longer certify consignments of meat of poultry for human consumption intended for import into or transit through the Union.

The entry for Japan in the table in Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 should therefore be amended to take account of the epidemiological situation in that third country.

Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 should therefore be amended accordingly.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,