COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2021/597

of 12 April 2021

laying down emergency measures in relation to confirmed cases of infestation with small hive beetle in Italy

(notified under document C(2021) 2365)

(Only the Italian text is authentic)

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (Animal Health Law) (1), and in particular Article 259(1), first subparagraph, point (a) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) is an insect native to sub-Saharan Africa, which has spread worldwide in recent decades and is capable of multiplying rapidly in the presence, in particular, of bee brood, pollen and honey in honeycomb. Adult specimens can fly up to several kilometres to invade other places. Infestation with small hive beetle is listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2016/429, as amended by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1629 (2), and in the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 (3).

(2) The small hive beetle is largely absent from the Union, but infestations have occurred in the Region of Calabria and in the Region of Sicily in Italy since September 2014. Commission Implementing Decision 2014/909/EU (4) has laid down certain animal health protection measures with regard to confirmed infestations of the small hive beetle in Italy. Currently both the Region of Calabria and the Region of Sicily are listed in the Annex to that Implementing Decision as areas subject to those protective measures. That Implementing Decision is applicable until 21 April 2021.

(3) The central competent authority of Italy has recently submitted information to the Commission showing that infestation with small hive beetle continues to occur in the Region of Calabria in apiaries, in beehives placed and managed by the local competent authority to investigate the situation, and in feral honeybees. In confirmed cases of infestation, the affected apiaries or beehives were destroyed. The local competent authority set a protection zone in that Region and banned the movement of honeybees and certain other commodities from that Region. However, the local competent authority was not able to eradicate the small hive beetle. The spread of the small hive beetle from the affected area in Italy could constitute a serious hazard to honeybees and bumble bees elsewhere in the Union.

(4) The information submitted to the Commission by the central competent authority of Italy also showed that since September 2014, only two confirmed cases of infestations with small hive beetle occurred in the Region of Sicily in apiaries and both were eradicated. In particular, that competent authority established that the second infestation, in June 2019 was the result of an illegal movement by a beekeeper of stolen beehives from the Region of Calabria, and that that infestation was promptly detected, investigated and eradicated by the local competent authority. Official data gathered by the central competent authority from the local competent authorities after implementing appropriate and representative official surveillance measures, including the use of sentinel beehives over several years, confirm the absence of small hive beetle from the Region of Sicily since September 2014, except for the June 2019 infestation. Therefore, in February 2020 the local competent authority lifted the protection zone it set in that Region pursuant to the confirmed case in June 2019.

(5) In order to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union, to avoid unjustified barriers to trade being imposed by third countries, as well as to prevent the spread of the small hive beetle to other parts of the Union, it is appropriate to lay down restrictions on the movement of certain commodities which are capable to spread small hive beetle. These restrictions should be similar to those laid down by Italian authorities and to those currently laid down in Implementing Decision 2014/909/EU. The areas subject to these emergency measures should be limited to the Region of Calabria.

(6) The measures laid down in this Decision should apply from 21 April 2021, which is the date of application of Regulation (EU) 2016/429. Given the difficulties experienced by the competent authority in recent years eradicating the small hive beetle in the Region of Calabria, these measures should apply for 3 years.

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 For the purposes of this Decision the following definitions shall apply: (a) ‘beehive’ means a container used for keeping honeybees or bumble bees; (b) ‘apiary’ means an establishment which keeps honeybees or bumble bees; (c) ‘unprocessed apiculture by-products’ means honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis or pollen not intended for human consumption as defined in point 10 of Annex I to Commission Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 (5) which have not undergone any processing procedure as referred to in Chapter II, Section 1, Table 2, row 10 of the fourth column, of Annex XIV to that Regulation; (d) ‘beekeeping equipment’ means used beehives, parts of beehives and utensils used in an apiary.

Article 2 1. Italy shall ensure that the following emergency measures are implemented in the areas listed in the Annex: (a) a ban on the dispatch of the following commodities to other areas of the Union: (i) honeybees; (ii) bumble bees; (iii) unprocessed apiculture by-products; (iv) beekeeping equipment; (v) apiculture products in honeycomb intended for human consumption; (b) the carrying out of surveillance in beehives and apiaries and epidemiological investigations, including: (i) the identification and tracing of movements of the commodities referred to in point (a) to and from apiaries and honey extraction establishments situated in an area of 20 km radius around the beehive(s) where an infestation with small hive beetle has been confirmed; (ii) the notification of the results of such surveillance and epidemiological investigations to the Commission. 2. On the basis of the results of the surveillance and epidemiological investigations provided for in paragraph 1(b), Italy may implement additional appropriate emergency measures pursuant to Article 257 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429.

Article 3 This Decision shall apply from 21 April 2021 until 21 April 2024.

Article 4 Addressees This Decision is addressed to the Italian Republic.

Done at Brussels, 12 April 2021. For the Commission Stella KYRIAKIDES Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1629 of 25 July 2018 amending the list of diseases set out in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (OJ L 272, 31.10.2018, p. 11).

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 of 3 December 2018 on the application of certain disease prevention and control rules to categories of listed diseases and establishing a list of species and groups of species posing a considerable risk for the spread of those listed diseases (OJ L 308, 4.12.2018, p. 21).

(4) Commission Implementing Decision 2014/909/EU of 12 December 2014 concerning certain protective measures with regard to confirmed occurrences of the small hive beetle in Italy (OJ L 359, 16.12.2014, p. 161).

(5) Commission Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 of 25 February 2011 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down health rules as regards animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption and implementing Council Directive 97/78/EC as regards certain samples and items exempt from veterinary checks at the border under that Directive (OJ L 54, 26.2.2011, p. 1).