2005/693/EC: Commission Decision of 6 October 2005 concerning certain protection measures in relation to avian influenza in Russia (notified under document number C(2005) 3705)   (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2005-10-06
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Russia, animal disease, disease prevention, import restriction, infectious disease, originating product, poultry

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Official Journal of the European Union

8.10.2005

COMMISSION DECISION

of 6 October 2005

concerning certain protection measures in relation to avian influenza in Russia

(notified under document number C(2005) 3705)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2005/693/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(3)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

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
89/662/EEC,
90/425/EEC and 90/675/EEC (1), and in particular Article
18(1) and (6) thereof,

amending Directives

countries

and

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 (2), and in particular Article 22(1) and (5)
thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Avian influenza is an infectious viral disease in poultry
and birds, causing mortality and disturbances which can
quickly take epizootic proportions liable to present a
serious
to animal and public health and to
reduce sharply the profitability of poultry farming.

threat

conditions
that Member States are

Commission Decision 2000/666/EC of 16 October 2000
laying down the animal health requirements and the
veterinary certification for the import of birds, other
for quarantine (3)
than poultry and the
the
provides
to authorise
import of birds
listed as
members of the Office International des Epizootics (OIE).
the OIE and accordingly
Russia is a member of
imports of birds, other
Member States are to accept
than poultry, from Russia under that Decision.

from the third countries

(1) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991, p. 56. Directive as last amended by the 2003

Act of Accession.

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

Under Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 3 October 2002 laying
down health rules concerning animal by-products not
intended for human consumption (4),
the importation
of unprocessed feathers and parts of feathers originating
in Russia is authorised.

Commission Decision 2004/122/EC of 6 February 2004
concerning certain protection measures in relation to
third countries (5) suspends
avian influenza in several
certain imports of poultry and poultry products from
affected third countries.

On 24 July 2005 Russia notified the OIE of an outbreak
of avian influenza in poultry. Accordingly, Decision
2004/122/EC was amended to take account of those
imports of unprocessed
outbreaks by
feathers and birds other than poultry from that third
country into the Community.

suspending

Decision 2004/122/EC was repealed and, with regard to
the affected third countries, other than Russia, replaced
by Commission Decision 2005/692/EC concerning
in relation to avian
certain protection measures
is therefore
influenza in several
appropriate to lay down specific rules for the importation
of certain birds and poultry products from Russia in a
separate act.

third countries (6).

It

Taking into account the potential serious consequences
related to the specific avian influenza virus strain (H5N1)
involved, which is the same as that confirmed in a
number of Asian countries, the importation of certain
birds from Russia should be suspended as a precau-
current disease
tionary measure.
situation in Russia imports of unprocessed feathers and
parts of
feathers originating in Russia should also be
suspended.

In view of

the

(2) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 9. Directive as last amended by Regulation
(EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council
(OJ L 165, 30.4.2004, p. 1; corrected version in OJ L 191,
28.5.2004, p. 1).

(3) OJ L 278, 31.10.2000, p. 26. Decision as last amended by Decision

2002/279/EC (OJ L 99, 16.4.2002, p. 17).

(4) OJ L 273, 10.10.2002, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by
Commission Regulation (EC) No 416/2005 (OJ L 66, 12.3.2005,
p. 10).

(5) OJ L 36, 7.2.2004, p. 59. Decision as last amended by Decision

2005/619/EC (OJ L 214, 19.8.2005, p. 66).

(6) See page 20 of this Official Journal.

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(8)

(9)

Russia has now provided further information indicating
the outbreak has been contained in the regions
that
the Ural
(Federal districts)
Mountains
regionalised for
imports of unprocessed feathers. Imports of birds other
than poultry should still be suspended from the whole of
Russia.

and can therefore be

located to the

east of

The measures provided for
accordance with
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

in this Decision are in
Standing
the

opinion

the

of

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

1. Member States shall suspend the importation from Russia
of live birds other than poultry as defined in Article 1, third
indent, of Decision 2000/666/EC,
including birds accom-
panying their owners (pet birds).

2. Member States shall suspend the importation from Russia
of unprocessed feathers and parts of feathers from the regions
listed in Annex I.

3. Member States shall authorise the importation of unpro-
feathers from those regions in
cessed feathers and parts of
Russia not listed in Annex I, provided that they are accom-
panied by a health certificate in accordance with the model
set out in Annex II.

4. Member States shall ensure that, for the importation of
processed feathers or parts of
a
commercial document stating that the processed feathers or

from Russia,

feathers

parts thereof have been treated with a steam current or by
some other method ensuring that no pathogens are transmitted
accompany the consignment.

However, that commercial documents shall not be required for
processed decorative feathers, processed feathers carried by
travellers for their private use or consignments of processed
feathers sent to private individuals for non-industrial purposes.

Article 2

so as

The Member States shall amend the measures they apply to
to bring them into compliance with this
imports
Decision and they shall give immediate appropriate publicity
to the measures adopted. They shall
immediately inform the
Commission thereof.

Article 3

This Decision shall apply from 1 October 2005 to 31
December 2005.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 6 October 2005.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission

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ANNEX I

Federal districts of Russia referred to in Article 1(2) and (3)

1. Far Eastern Federal District

Includes the following Subjects of the Russian Federation: Amur Oblast, Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Kamchatka
Oblast, Koryakia Autonomous District, Khabarovsk Krai, Magadan Oblast, Chukotka Autonomous District,
Primorsky Krai, Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Sakhalin Oblast.

2. Siberian Federal District

Includes the following Subjects of the Russian Federation: Altai Republic, Altai Krai, Buryatia Republic, Chita Oblast,
Aga Buryatia Autonomous District,
Irkutsk Oblast, Ust-Orda Buryatia Autonomous District, Khakassia Republic,
Kemerovo Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Taymyria Autonomous District, Evenkia Autonomous District, Novosibirsk
Oblast, Omsk Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, Tuva Republic.

3. Urals Federal District

Includes the following Subjects of the Russian Federation: Kurgan Oblast, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Tyumen Oblast, Khantia-
Mansia Autonomous District, Yamalia Autonomous District, Chelyabinsk Oblast.

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ANNEX II

as referred to in Article 1(3)

Model veterinary certificate for unprocessed feathers from Russia

Notes

(a) Veterinary certificates shall be issued by Russia using the model below. They shall contain, in the order appearing in
the model, the attestations that are required for any third/non-member country and, where applicable, those additional
health requirements required for the exporting third/non-member country or part thereof.

(b) A separate, single certificate must be presented for each consignment of the commodity concerned, exported to the

same destination from Russia and transported in the same railway wagon, lorry, aircraft or ship.

(c) The original of the certificate shall consist of a single page printed on both sides or, where more text is required, such

that all the pages form a whole and cannot be subdivided.

(d) The certificate shall be drawn up in at least one official language of the EU Member State where the border inspection
takes place and in one official language of the EU Member State of destination. However, those Member States may
allow another Community language to appear in place of their own, accompanied,
if necessary, by an official
translation.

(e) Where additional pages are attached to the certificate for the purposes of identifying the items making up the
the certificate,

consignment, such additional pages shall also be considered to form part of
provided the signature and stamp of the certifying official veterinarian appear on each page.

the original of

(f) Where the certificate, including any additional pages as provided for in (e), comprises more than one page, each page
shall be numbered on the pattern ‘–x(page number) of y(total number of pages)–’ on the bottom and shall bear the code
number of the certificate allocated by the competent authority on the top.

(g) The original of the certificate must be completed and signed by an official veterinarian no more than 24 hours prior
to the consignment's loading for export to the Community. To that end, the competent authorities of Russia shall
ensure that principles of certification equivalent to those laid down in Council Directive 96/93/EC are followed.

The colour of the signature shall be different to that of the printing. The same rule shall apply to stamps other than
embossed stamps or watermarks.

(h) The original of the certificate must accompany the consignment as far as the EU border inspection post.

(i) The certificate shall be valid for 10 days from the date of issue.

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