1999/683/EC: Commission Decision of 7 October 1999 amending for the second time Decision 1999/293/EC concerning certain protective measures against bluetongue in parts of Greece (notified under document number C(1999) 3106) (Text with EEA relevance) (Only the Greek text is authentic)
Date: 1999-10-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Greece, animal disease, health control, sheep

20. 10. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 270/31

COMMISSION DECISION

of 7 October 1999

amending for the second time Decision 1999/293/EC concerning certain protective measures
against bluetongue in parts of Greece

(notified under document number C(1999) 3106)

(Only the Greek text is authentic)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(1999/683/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(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

In the first and second paragraphs of Article 1 of Decision
1999/293/EC,
the phrase ‘the Prefectures of Dodekanisa,
Samos, Evros, Rodopi and Xanthi’ is replaced by ‘the Prefec-
tures of Dodekanisa, Samos, Evros, Rodopi, Xanthi, Serres,
Drama and Kavala.’

Article 2

The following paragraph is added to Article 1 of Decision
1999/293/EC:

‘Greece shall authorise the movement from the Prefectures
of Kilkis and Thessaloniki of animals susceptible to blue-
tongue and which have spent time in the territories of
those two Prefectures only if during the ten days preceding
movement they have tested negative in a serological test for
the specific antibody to the disease.’

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Hellenic Republic.

Done at Brussels, 7 October 1999.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June
1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable
in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products
with a view to the completion of the internal market (1), as last
amended by Directive 92/118/EEC (2), and in particular Article
10(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

Following outbreaks of bluetongue on certain islands in
south-eastern Greece, the Commission adopted protect-
ive measures by Decision 1999/293/EC (3), as amended
by Decision 1999/623/EC (4).

Those measures were extended to the Prefectures of
Evros, Rodopi and Xanthi by Decision 1999/623/EC
after it was found that the virus was circulating in the
Prefectures of Evros and Rodopi.

A serological examination carried out in the second half
of August 1999 has revealed that the bluetongue virus is
circulating in the Prefectures of Serres and Drama.

In the absence of natural barriers, the disease vectors
may actively spread or be transported on the wind for
long distances.

The movement of animals of susceptible species should
be restricted so that virus-carrying animals cannot
spread the disease.

Decision 1999/293/EC should therefore be amended to
include the Prefectures of Serres, Drama and Kavala.

Safeguard measures should be adopted with regard to
the movement of susceptible species from Prefectures
bordering on the infected area.

(1) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 29.
(2) OJ L 62, 15.3.1993, p. 49.
(3) OJ L 114, 1.5.1999, p. 55.
(4) OJ L 245, 17.9.1999, p. 52.