Commission Decision
of 7 September 2000
laying down animal and public health conditions and veterinary certifications for import of wild and farmed game meat and rabbit meat from third countries and repealing Commission Decisions 97/217/EC, 97/218/EC, 97/219/EC and 97/220/EC
(notified under document number C(2000) 2492)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2000/585/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 91/494/EEC of 26 June 1991 on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in and imports from third countries of fresh poultry meat(1), as amended by Directive 1999/89/EC(2), and in particular Articles 11, 12 and 14 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 92/118/EEC of 17 December 1992 laying down animal health and public health requirements governing trade in and imports into the Community of products not subject to the said requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A, Chapter I, to Directive 89/662/EEC and, as regards pathogens, to Directive 90/425/EEC(3), as last amended by Directive 97/79/EC(4), and in particular Article 10 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 92/45/EEC of 16 June 1992 on public health and animal health problems relating to the killing of wild game and the placing on the market of wild game meat(5), as last amended by Directive 97/79/EC, and particular Article 16(2)(c) and (3) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Commission Decision 97/217/EC(6) as last amended by Decision 2000/161/EC(7), establishes groups of third countries which are able to utilise the veterinary certification for imports of wild game meat, farmed game meat and rabbit meat from third countries.
(2) Commission Decision 97/218/EC(8) lays down animal and public health conditions and veterinary certification for imports of wild game meat (excluding meat of wild swine) from third countries.
(3) Commission Decision 97/219/EC(9) as last amended by Decision 2000/162/EC(10) lays down animal and public health conditions and veterinary certification for imports of farmed game meat and rabbit meat from third countries.
(4) Commission Decision 97/220/EC(11) lays down animal and public health conditions and veterinary certification for imports of meat of wild swine from third countries.
(5) In order to facilitate the consultation and the transparency of the European Union legislation and to update the animal and public health conditions and veterinary certification for import of wild and farmed game meat and rabbit meat from third countries, it is considered necessary to create a single decision; therefore, Commission Decisions 97/217/EC, 97/218/EC, 97/219/EC and 97/220/EC must be repealed.
(6) Considering that a new certification regime must be implemented for the exporting countries concerned, a period of time should be provided for its implementation.
(7) This Decision shall be reviewed in the light of developments in the animal health status of the territories of origin and, in particular, in the frame of the application of agreements between the Community and third countries concerning the matters covered by this Decision, notably as concerns Article 5 of the Agreement between the European Community and the Government of Canada on sanitary measures to protect public and animal health in respect of trade in live animals and animal products and Article 6 of the Agreement between the European Community and the United States of America on sanitary measures to protect public and animal health in trade in live animals and animal products.
(8) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
For the purpose ot this Decision "farmed game birds" means quail, pigeons, pheasants, partridges and any other game birds. It excludes fowl, turkeys, guinea fowls, ducks, geese and ratites.
Article 2
1. Member States shall authorise imports of the categories of fresh meat as follows:
- meat, excluding offal, of wild cloven-hoofed game, excluding wild swine,
- meat of farmed cloven-hoofed game, excluding farmed wild swine,
- meat, excluding offal, of wild swine,
- meat of farmed wild swine,
- meat of wild game bird, excluding offal except for unplucked and uneviscerated game birds,
- meat of farmed game birds,
- meat, excluding offal, of wild soliped, defined as zebra meat,
- meat of wild leporidae, defined as rabbits and hares, excluding offal except for unskinned and uneviscerated leporidae,
- meat of farmed rabbits,
- meat, excluding offal, of wild land mammals, excluding wild ungulates and leporidae,
and coming from the territories laid down in Annex I, if they comply with the conditions laid down in the relevant health certificate drawn up in Annex III, as provided for in Annex II to the present Decision.
2. Member States shall authorise the introduction onto their territory of wild and farmed game meat and rabbit meat from the country of origin subject to the special conditions required in Annex II and described in Annex IV. These specific conditions must be provided by the exporting country in Section V of each model of certificate laid down in Annex III.
Article 3
This Decision shall come into effect 60 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
Article 4
1. Commission Decisions 97/217/EC, 97/218/EC, 97/219/EC and 97/220/EC are repealed on the same date the present Decision will come into force, as mentioned in Article 3.
2. Member States shall authorise the importation of fresh meat covered by the present Decision, produced and certified according to the requirements of Commission Decisions 97/217/EC, 97/218/EC, 97/219/EC and 97/220/EC during the 35 days following the date mentioned in Article 3.
Article 5
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 7 September 2000.