1999/541/EC: Commission Decision of 26 July 1999 concerning the importation of sheep and goats from Bulgaria and amending Commission Decision 97/232/EC (notified under document number C(1999) 2433) (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 1999-07-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Bulgaria, goat, health certificate, health control, import

6. 8. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 207/31

COMMISSION DECISION

of 26 July 1999

concerning the importation of sheep and goats from Bulgaria and amending Commission Decision
97/232/EC

(notified under document number C(1999) 2433)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(1999/541/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(8) Whereas it

is possible to authorise the imports of
immediate

domestic ovine and caprine animals for
slaughter without risk of spreading these diseases;

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 72/462/EEC of 12
December 1972 on health and veterinary inspection problems
upon importation of bovine, ovine and caprine animals and
swine, fresh meat products from third countries (1), as last
amended by Directive 97/79/EC (2) and in particular Articles 3,
6 and 7 thereof,

(1) Whereas Council Directive 91/68/EEC (3),

last
amended by the Act of Accession for Austria, Finland
and Sweden,
lays down animal health conditions
governing intra-community trade in ovine and caprine
animals;

as

(9) Whereas it is considered necessary to keep the restric-
tion at the import of live ovine and caprine animals for
the twenty-kilometre-wide corridor along the border
with Turkey;

(10) Whereas Decision 97/232/EC should be

amended

accordingly;

(11) Whereas the measures provided for in this Decision are
in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veter-
inary Committee,

(2) Whereas Commission Decision 93/198/EEC (4), as last
amended by Decision 97/231/EC (5),
lays down the
animal health conditions and veterinary certification for
imports of domestic ovine and caprine animals;

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

(3) Whereas Commission Decision 97/232/EC (6) draws up
a list of third countries from which the Member States
authorise imports of sheep and goats;

Member States shall authorise the imports from Bulgaria of
domestic ovine and caprine animals for immediate slaughter.

(4) Whereas these lists can be amended at any time to take
into account new information or new situations;

Article 2

(5) Whereas,

following a recent Commission veterinary
mission, it appears that the Bulgarian veterinary services
control satisfactorily the whole country;

(6) Whereas no cases of sheep pox have been recorded in

Bulgaria since September 1996;

(7) Whereas the country has been free from foot and mouth

disease for the last two years;

(1) OJ L 302, 31.12.1972, p. 28.
(2) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 31.
(3) OJ L 46, 19.2.1991, p. 19.
(4) OJ L 86, 6.4.1993, p. 34.
(5) OJ L 93, 8.4.1997, p. 22.
(6) OJ L 93, 8.4.1997, p. 43.

Annex to Decision 97/232/EC is amended as follows:

In part 2 the words ‘subject
to temporary suspension of
approval due to animal health situation’ are replaced by the
words ‘excluding the twenty-kilometre-wide zone of the prov-
inces of Bourgas, Jambol, Sliven, Starazagora, Hasskovo and
Kardjali along the border with Turkey.

The animals described in the certificate required by Commis-
sion Decision 93/198/EEC must be subjected to:

— a period of 14 days pre-export quarantine in premises
officially approved by the central competent authorities of
the exporting country and which are under control of an
official veterinarian and supervised in such a way that direct
or indirect contact between the animals to be exported and
other cloven hoofed animals is avoided and

L 207/32

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

6. 8. 1999

— be subjected to a serological test for foot and mouth disease antibodies with negative results, to be

carried out not before eight days after entry into isolation.’

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 3

Done at Brussels, 26 July 1999.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission