2001/622/EC: Commission Decision of 27 July 2001 amending Decisions 92/160/EEC and 97/10/EC with regard to the regionalisation of South Africa and repealing Decision 1999/334/EC on protection measures with regard to registered horses coming from South Africa (Text with EEA relevance) (notified under document number C(2001) 2367)
Date: 2001-07-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: South Africa, animal plague, equidae, import (EU), regionalisation of trade, vaccination, veterinary inspection

L 216/26

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10.8.2001

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 27 July 2001

amending Decisions 92/160/EEC and 97/10/EC with regard to the regionalisation of South Africa
and repealing Decision 1999/334/EC on protection measures with regard to registered horses
coming from South Africa

(notified under document number C(2001) 2367)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2001/622/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 90/426/EEC of 26 June
1990 on animal health conditions governing the movement
and import from third countries of equidae (1), as last amended
by Commission Decision 2001/298/EC (2), and in particular
Article 13(2)(a) thereof,

Having regard to Council Directive 91/496/EEC of 15 July
1991 laying down the principles governing the organisation of
veterinary checks on animals entering the Community from
third countries and amending Directives 89/662/EEC, 90/
425/EEC and 90/675/EEC (3), as last amended by Directive
96/43/EC (4), and in particular Article 18 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Commission Decision 92/160/EEC (5), as last amended
by Decision 2000/619/EC (6), establishes the region-
alisation of certain third countries
imports of
equidae.

for

The animal health conditions for the importation of
registered horses from South Africa were laid down in
Commission Decision 97/10/EC (7), which also estab-
lished the regionalisation of South Africa.

Following the notification of outbreaks of African horse
sickness in the Western Cape Province of South Africa in
May 1999, the Commission adopted Decision 1999/

(1) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 42.
(2) OJ L 102, 12.4.2001, p. 63.
(3) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991, p. 56.
(4) OJ L 162, 1.7.1996, p. 1.
(5) OJ L 71, 18.3.1992, p. 24.
(6) OJ L 215, 9.8.2001, p. 55.
(7) OJ L 3, 7.1.1997, p. 9.

334/EC of 7 May 1999 laying down protection meas-
ures with regard to registered horses coming from South
Africa (8).

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

South Africa has not recorded cases of African horse
sickness in the African horse sickness free area of metro-
politan Cape Town or the surveillance zone surrounding
the free area more than two years.

The competent authorities of South Africa provided the
Commission with a comprehensive final report about
the outbreak in 1999 and the measures carried out
since. The main findings in this report were also
presented to the annual meeting of the National African
horse sickness reference laboratories in Algete, Spain, in
November 2000.

However,
the competent authorities of South Africa
requested a modification of the regionalisation in line
with Community legislation and standards of the Office
Internationale des Epizootics (OIE).

In order to allow imports of registered horses from
South Africa it is necessary to adjust the regionalisation
for imports of equidae by modifying the Annex to
Decision 92/160/EEC, to modify the boundaries of the
surveillance and protection zones described in the
Annex to Decision 97/10/EC, and to repeal Decision
1999/334/EC.

(8)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in
accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary
Committee,

(8) OJ L 126, 20.5.1999, p. 19.

10.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 216/27

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The reference to South Africa in the Annex to Decision 92/
160/EEC is replaced by the following:

‘South Africa (3)
The metropolitan area of Cape Town delineated as follows:
Northern boundary: Blaauwberg Road (M14);
Eastern boundary:

Koeberg Road (M14), Plattekloof
Road
(M14), N7 Highway, N1
Highway and M5 Highway;

Southern boundary: Ottery Road, Prince George's Drive,
Wetton Road, Riverstone Road,
Tennant Road, Newlands Drive, Para-
dise Road, Union Drive, Rhodes
Drive up to the Newslands Forestry
station and across Echo Gorge of
Table Mountain to Camps Bay;
Bay

Western boundary: Coastline

from Camps

to

Blaauwberg Road.’

Article 2

lent AHS vaccine as prescribed by the vaccine manufacturer
and carried out exclusively by a veterinarian or an author-
ised Animal Health Technician in the official employ of the
Government, of those horses scheduled to leave the free
area or the surveillance zone beyond the perimeters of the
surveillance zone under the provision, that these horses may
not
leave the holding until departure for a destination
outside the free area and the surveillance zone and the
vaccination must be entered in the passport.’

3. Paragraph 3.2.

is replaced by the following:

‘Where vaccination of registered horses against AHS is
carried out in areas outside the free area and surveillance
zone it must be carried out by a veterinarian or an author-
ised Animal Health Technician in the official employ of the
Government using a registered polyvalent AHS vaccine as
prescribed by the vaccine manufacturer and the vaccination
must be entered in the passport.’

Article 3

Decision 1999/334/EC is repealed.

Article 4

Annex I to Decision 97/10/EC is amended as follows:

This Decision is addressed to all the Member States.

1. Paragraph 2 relating to the regionalisation is replaced by the

words in the Annex to this Decision.

2. The second subparagraph in paragraph 3.1 is replaced by

the following:
‘However, by way of derogation the Director of Animal
Health of the Ministry of Agriculture of South Africa may
grant permission for vaccination using a registered polyva-

Done at Brussels, 27 July 2001.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission

L 216/28

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10.8.2001

ANNEX

‘2. Regionalisation:

2.1. African horse sickness free area:

The metropolitan area of Cape Town is an African horse sickness free area and delineated as follows:

— Northern boundary:

Blaauwberg Road (M14);

— Eastern boundary:

Koeberg Road (M14), Plattekloof Road (M14), N7 Highway, N1 Highway and M5
Highway;

— Southern boundary:

Ottery Road, Prince George's Drive, Wetton Road, Riverstone Road, Tennant Road,
Newlands Drive, Paradise Road, Union Drive, Rhodes Drive up to the Newslands
Forestry station and across Echo Gorge of Table Mountain to Camps Bay;

— Western boundary:

Coastline from Camps Bay to Blaauwberg Road.

2.2. African horse sickness surveillance zone:

The African horse sickness free area is surrounded by a surveillance zone of at least 50 km width which includes
the magisterial districts of Cape Town, Vredenburg, Hopefield, Mooreesburg, Malmesbury, Wellington, Paarl,
Stellenbosch, Kuilsrivier, Goodwood, Wynberg, Simonstown, Somerset West, Mitchells Plain and Strand and is
defined by the Berg Rivier to the north, the Hottentots Holland Mountains to the east and the coast to the south
and west.

2.3. African horse sickness protection zone:

The surveillance zone is surrounded by a protection zone of at least 100 km width which includes the
magisterial districts of Clanwilliam, Piketberg, Ceres, Tulbagh, Worcester, Caledon, Hermanus, Bredasdorp,
Robertson, Montagu, Swellendam.

2.4. African horse sickness infected zone:

The part of the territory of the Republic of South Africa outside the Western Cape Province and the part of the
Western Cape Province outside the free area and the protection and surveillance zone and including the
magisterial districts of Vanrynsdorp, Vredendal, Laingsburg, Ladismith, Heidelberg, Riversdale, Mossel Bay,
Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, George, Knysna, Uniondale, Prince Albert, Beaufort West and Murraysburg.’