2003/71/EC: Commission Decision of 29 January 2003 on certain protective measures in respect of infectious salmon anaemia in the Faroe Islands (Text with EEA relevance) (notified under document number C(2003) 363)
Date: 2003-01-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, Faroes, fish, health certificate, import restriction, infectious disease

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on certain protective measures in respect of infectious salmon anaemia in the Faroe Islands

COMMISSION DECISION

of 29 January 2003

(notified under document number C(2003) 363)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2003/71/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

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 (1), as last amended by Directive 96/43/
EC (2), and in particular Article 18(7) thereof,

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 (3), and in particular Article 22(6) thereof,

(5)

(6)

necessary to retain the protective measures provided for
in Decision 2000/574/EC relating to eggs and gametes
of the family Salmonidae coming from a farm in the
Faroe Islands that is not under animal health restrictions
due to a suspicion or an outbreak of infectious salmon
anaemia, and it
is thus appropriate to replace the
measures by those contained in this Decision and Deci-
sion 2000/574/EC should accordingly be repealed.

In light of the disease situation in the Faroe Islands, the
protective measures contained in this Decision should
remain applicable until February 2004.

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,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

The occurrence of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) in
the Faroe Islands, led to the adoption of Commission
Decision 2000/574/EC of 14 September 2000 on certain
protective measures in respect of
infectious salmon
anaemia (ISA) in salmonids in the Faroe Islands (4), as
by Decision 2002/110/EC (5). The
last
measures include a ban on imports into the Community
of live salmon and stringent conditions for the importa-
tion of certain products for human consumption. Those
measures apply until 1 February 2003.

amended

Despite the measures undertaken by the Faroe Islands,
further outbreaks of ISA were notified by that state in
2002, and a rapid eradication of that disease cannot
therefore be envisaged.

The International Office of Epizootic Diseases (IOE), has
given an opinion stating that there is no evidence of
vertical transmission of ISA virus.

On the basis of the opinion of the IOE, and the experi-
ence and practice of Member States and third countries
affected by ISA, it has not been demonstrated that it is

(1) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991, p. 56.
(2) OJ L 162, 1.7.1996, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 9.
(4) OJ L 240, 23.9.2000, p. 26.
(5) OJ L 40, 12.2.2002, p. 13.

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Live fish, eggs and gametes belonging to the family Salmo-
nidae

1. Member States
fish
shall prohibit
belonging to the family Salmonidae originating in the Faroe
Islands.

imports of

live

2. Member States shall prohibit imports of live eggs of fish
belonging to the family Salmonidae originating in the Faroe
Islands, unless they have been disinfected twice, both at the
green egg stage and the eyed egg stage, and subject to the
consignments being accompanied by a certificate in accordance
with the model laid down in Annex I of this Decision.

3. Member States shall authorise the import of live gametes
of fish belonging to the family Salmonidae originating in the
Faroe Islands.

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Article 2

Article 5

Conditions for the import of non-processed slaughtered
for human
fish belonging to the family Salmonidae

consumption

The Member States shall amend the measures they apply in
trade in order to bring them into conformity with this Deci-
sion. They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof.

Member States shall authorise import of slaughtered Atlantic
salmon (Salmo salar), sea trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) originating in the Faroe Islands provided
that they are eviscerated, or when they are non-eviscerated,
provided that the consignments are accompanied by a certifi-
cate in accordance with the model laid down in Annex II of
this Decision.

Article 6

This Decision shall apply from 3 February 2003 until 1
February 2004.

Article 7

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Derogation for scientific purposes

By way of derogation, Member States may allow the importa-
tion into their territory of samples of the animals and products
covered by the present Decision for scientific purposes.

Decision 2000/574/EC is repealed.

Article 4

Done at Brussels, 29 January 2003.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission

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ANNEX I

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ANNEX II