2002/942/EC: Commission Decision of 29 November 2002 amending Decision 2002/537/EC concerning protection measures relating to Newcastle disease in Australia (Text with EEA relevance) (notified under document number C(2002) 4760)
Date: 2002-11-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Australia, animal disease, egg, health certificate, health control, import, poultry, poultry farming, veterinary inspection

30.11.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 325/49

COMMISSION DECISION

of 29 November 2002

amending Decision 2002/537/EC concerning protection measures relating to Newcastle disease in
Australia

(notified under document number C(2002) 4760)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2002/942/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 97/78/EC of 18 December
1997 laying down the principles governing the organisation of
veterinary checks on products entering the Community from
third countries (1), and in particular Article 22(6) 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 (2), as last amended by Directive 96/43/
EC (3), and in particular Article 18(7) thereof,

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 (4), as last amended by Directive 1999/89/EC (5), and in
particular Article 11(1), Article 12(2), Article 14(1) and Article
14a 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 Commu-
nity of products not subject to the said requirements laid down
in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A(1), to
Directive 89/662/EEC and, as regards pathogens, to Directive
90/425/EEC (6), as last amended by Decision 2002/33/EC of
the European Parliament and of the Council (7), and in parti-
cular Article 10(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

Due to an outbreak of Newcastle disease in the State of
Victoria, the Commission adopted Decision 2002/537/
EC of 2 July 2002 concerning protection measures
relating to Newcastle disease in Australia (8).

(1) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 9.
(2) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991, p. 56.
(3) OJ L 162, 1.7.1996, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991, p. 35.
(5) OJ L 300, 23.11.1999, p. 17.
(6) OJ L 62, 15.3.1993, p. 49.
(7) OJ L 315, 19.11.2002, p. 14.
(8) OJ L 173, 3.7.2002, p. 33.

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

That Decision prohibits the importation of live poultry
and hatching eggs, live ratites and hatching eggs, fresh
meat of poultry, ratites, wild and farmed feathered game,
poultrymeat products and meat preparations
from
Australia, from 6 July 2002 to 1 December 2002, with
certain derogations.

The Australian authorities have submitted information
on the outbreak and further epidemiological data in rela-
tion to the Newcastle disease situation in Australia with
respect to the circulation of endemic strains of Newcastle
disease viruses and the vaccination policy applied.

In order to assess the disease situation on the spot and
possibly adapt the import requirements from Australia
for poultry and poultry meat, the Food and Veterinary
Office has been requested to carry out a mission to
Australia, which is scheduled for mid January 2003.

informed the
On 25 October 2002 Australia has
Commission about a further outbreak of Newcastle
disease in a poultry holding located in New South
Wales.

Therefore,
it is appropriate to prolong the protection
measures laid down in Decision 2002/537/EC for until 1
May 2003. However, that date is to be reviewed in the
light of the disease evolution and the conclusions of the
mission.

The requirements for fresh ratite meat, which still may
be imported into the European Community following
certain testing regimes must be amended in order to take
into account the recent outbreak in New South Wales.

Decision 2002/537/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accor-
dance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on
the Food Chain and Animal Health,

L 325/50

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

30.11.2002

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Decision 2002/537/EC is amended as follows:

1. In Article 7 the date ‘1 December 2002’ is replaced by the date ‘1 May 2003’.

2. In the model health attestation of the Annex under I. Animal health certification in point 2.5.1.1 and
point 2.5.1.2 the words ‘the State of Victoria’ are replaced by the words ‘the States of Victoria and New
South Wales’.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 2

Done at Brussels, 29 November 2002.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission