2003/881/EC: Commission Decision of 11 December 2003 concerning the animal health and certification conditions for imports of bees (Apis mellifera and Bombus spp.) from certain third countries and repealing Decision 2000/462/EC (Text with EEA relevance) (notified under document number C(2003) 4623)
Date: 2003-12-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: animal disease, apiculture, health certificate, health control, import, originating product, third country

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 11 December 2003

concerning the animal health and certification conditions for imports of bees (Apis mellifera and
Bombus spp.) from certain third countries and repealing Decision 2000/462/EC

(notified under document number C(2003) 4623)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2003/881/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 92/65/EEC of 13 July 1992
laying down animal health requirements governing trade in
and imports into the Community of animals, semen, ova and
embryos not subject to animal health requirements laid down
in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A(I) to Direc-
tive 90/425/EEC (1), and in particular Article 17(2)(b), the first
indent of Article 18(1) and Article 19(b) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Commission Decision 2000/462/EC of 12 July 2000
concerning the health certification for imports of bees/
hives, queens and their attendants from third coun-
tries (2) lays down the health certification conditions for
such imports from third countries, as required by Direc-
tive 92/65/EEC.

The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) is an exotic pest
affecting honey bees
that has spread from various
African countries to a number of other third countries,
thereby creating serious problems for the apiculture
industry. An effective and safe treatment against this pest
is at present not available. If introduced, the small hive
beetle poses a risk to the sustainability of the apiculture
industry in the Community, and hence to agriculture
and the environment, owing to the resultant disruption
of pollination.

(1) OJ L 268, 14.9.1992, p. 54, as last amended by Commission Regu-

lation (EC) No 1398/2003 (OJ L 98, 6.8.2003, p. 3).

(2) OJ L 183, 12.7.2000, p. 18.

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

The small hive beetle is not yet listed in the list of
diseases maintained by the International Office of
Epizootic Diseases (OIE). For this reason the extent of
infestation in third countries is not known.

The Tropilaelaps mite (Tropilaelaps spp.) is an exotic pest
of honey bees which is spreading in various third coun-
tries, thereby creating serious problems for the apicul-
it could also have similar
ture industry. If introduced,
severe consequences for the sustainability of the apicul-
ture industry in the Community.

Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1398/2003, the presence
of the small hive beetle and the Tropilaelaps mite in the
Community
to compulsory notification
through their
listing under Directive 92/65/EEC. At
present there have been no reports that either has been
found in the Community.

subject

is

Apart from making the presence of these pests notifiable
within the Community, it is therefore necessary to lay
down additional requirements for the importation of
bees from certain third countries to limit the risk of
introducing the small hive beetle and the Tropilaelaps
mite into the Community, in the interest of protecting
the Community's status as regards apiculture health.

Only queen bees accompanied by a small number of
attendants in single queen bee cages can be easily
checked for infestation with the small hive beetle and
Tropilaelaps mite, and therefore imports of bees should
in principle be limited to such consignments.

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(8)

(9)

(10)

However, there is no evidence that the Tropilaelaps mite
can infest colonies of bumble bees (Bombus spp.).
In
addition, the small hive beetle has only been shown to
infest bumble bee colonies under experimental condi-
tions, and there is no documented evidence that the
small hive beetle is able to infest bumble bee colonies in
the natural environment. Also, small colonies of bumble
bees bred and reared under environmentally controlled
conditions may be traded for the horticultural industry
in particular, while the importation of queen bumble
bees from the wild may also remain necessary for
breeding purposes. In view of this, the importation of
bumble bees (Bombus spp.) should be authorised also for
small consignments bred and reared solely under envir-
onmentally controlled conditions within recognised
establishments and which can be assured to be free of
the small hive beetle.

In the interest of the clarity of Community legislation,
and to ensure further harmonisation of Community
animal health requirements upon importation, Decision
2000/462/EC should therefore be repealed and replaced
by the provisions of this Decision restricting the authori-
sation of
imports to queen bees (Apis mellifera) and
queen bumble bees (Bombus spp.) with a small number
of attendants, or to small colonies of bumble bees
(Bombus spp.) bred under environmentally controlled
conditions within recognised establishments.

Council Directive 96/93/EC of 17 December 1996 on
the certification of animals and animal products (1) lays
down standards of certification which are necessary for
valid certification and to prevent fraud; it is appropriate
to ensure that the rules and principles applied by third
country certifying officers provide guarantees which are
at least equivalent to those laid down in this Directive
and therefore only those countries listed in Part I of the
Annex to Council Decision 79/542/EEC (2) should be
authorised for importation of bees into the Community.

(11)

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

1. Member States shall authorise the importation of bees
(Apis mellifera and Bombus spp.) as foreseen by Directive 92/65/
EEC provided the following requirements are complied with:

— they come from third countries or parts thereof listed in

part 1 of the Annex to Decision 79/542/EEC and,

— they are accompanied by a health certificate in accordance
with the specimen set out in Annex I and comply with the
guarantees laid down in this specimen,

— the consignments are limited to a maximum of 20 accom-
panying attendants to one queen bee in one single queen
bee cage.

2.
At the designated destination, where the hives shall be
put under official control, the queens shall be transferred to
new cages before being introduced to local colonies.

3.
The cages, attendants, and other material that accompa-
nied the queens from the third country of origin shall be sent
to a laboratory for examination for the presence of the small
hive beetle, their eggs or larvae and signs of the Tropilaelaps
mite. After
shall be
destroyed.

laboratory examination, all material

Article 2

By derogation from Article 1(1), second and third indents,
Member States shall also authorise the imports of consignments
of bumble bees (Bombus spp.)
limited to a single colony
containing a maximum of 200 adult bumble bees per
container, which are accompanied by a health certificate in
accordance with the specimen set out
in Annex II and
complying with the guarantees laid down in this specimen. In
this case, and by derogation from Article 1(2) and (3), it shall
be sufficient that the container and all material that accompa-
nied the bumble bees from the third country of origin be
destroyed either during or immediately at the end of the life-
span of the colony.

Article 3

Decision 2000/462/EC is repealed.

Article 4

This Decision shall apply from 27 December 2003.

Article 5

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 11 December 2003.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 13, 16.1.1997, p. 28.
(2) OJ L 146, 14.6.1979, p. 15.

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ANNEX I

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ANNEX II

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