2006/28/EC: Commission Decision of  18 January 2006  on extension of the maximum period for applying eartags to certain bovine animals  (notified under document number C(2006) 43)   (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2006-01-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: cattle, database, disclosure of information, labelling, trade mark, veterinary inspection

L 19/32

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

24.1.2006

COMMISSION DECISION

of 18 January 2006

on extension of the maximum period for applying eartags to certain bovine animals

(notified under document number C(2006) 43)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2006/28/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

the
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of
European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 estab-
lishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine
animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products
and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 (1), and in
particular Article 4(2) thereof,

Having regard to the requests from Member States,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Certain Member States have requested, pursuant to Regu-
lation (EC) No 1760/2000, that the maximum period
laid down for applying eartags to bovine animals be
extended to six months where the animals are kept
under specific management conditions and where the
area's specific natural handicaps and the animals' highly
aggressive behaviour make it difficult and even dangerous
to apply eartags in the 20 days after the animals are
born.

Extension of the maximum period for applying eartags
should be allowed in those circumstances and subject to
certain safeguards. In particular, it is necessary to ensure
that the quality of information provided by the database
for bovine animals is not adversely affected and that no
bovine animals to which eartags have not been applied
are moved.

(3)

This extension should apply only to holdings that have
been individually authorised by the Member State
concerned in accordance with clearly defined criteria.

98/589/EC of 12 October 1998 concerning an extension
of the maximum period laid down for the application of
eartags
to certain bovine animals belonging to the
Spanish herd (2), which sets out specific provisions for
Spain, should be repealed.

(5)

in this Decision are in
The measures provided for
accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Authorisation for extension of the tagging period

Member States may authorise holdings to extend to six months
the maximum period laid down in the first subparagraph of
Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 for applying
eartags to calves of suckler cows that are not used for milk
production, provided that the conditions set out in Articles 2 to
5 of this Decision are met.

Article 2

Conditions for granting authorisation

1. Member States may grant authorisations as provided for in
Article 1 where they are satisfied that the following conditions
are fulfilled:

(a)

the holding is a free-range farm where suckler cows are
reared under extensive conditions;

(b) the area where the animals are kept

features significant
natural handicaps that result in reduced physical contact
with humans;

(c)

the animals are not accustomed to regular contact with
humans and show highly aggressive behaviour;

(4)

Since the measures provided for in this Decision should
apply to all Member States, Commission Decision

(d) when the eartags are applied, each calf can be clearly

assigned to its mother.

(1) OJ L 204, 11.8.2000, p. 1. Regulation as amended by the 2003 Act

(2) OJ L 283, 21.10.1998, p. 19. Decision as amended by Decision

of Accession.

1999/520/EC (OJ L 199, 30.7.1999, p. 72).

24.1.2006

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 19/33

in
2. Member States may lay down additional criteria,
particular to restrict authorisations, as provided for in Article
1, to particular geographical regions or specific breeds.

The competent authority shall record animals to which
3.
eartags have not been applied at
the time their birth and
report as untagged animals in the computerised database for
bovine animals.

3. Member States shall notify the Commission if they apply
this Decision and inform it of any additional criteria they lay
down in accordance with paragraph 2.

Article 3

Tagging

On holdings granted authorisations as provided for in Article 1,
the eartags shall be applied at the latest when the calf:

Article 5

Controls

The competent authority shall, each year, carry out at least one
inspection visit on each holding granted an authorisation
pursuant to Article 1.
It shall withdraw the authorisation if
the conditions referred to in Article 2 are no longer fulfilled.

— reaches the age of six months,

— is separated from its mother,

— leaves the holding.

Article 4

Computerised database

1.
The competent authority shall record in the computerised
database for bovine animals referred in Article 5 of Regulation
(EC) No 1760/2000 authorisations as provided for in Article 1
of this Decision in respect of the holdings to which they are
granted.

2.
Keepers shall, when reporting the birth of each animal in
accordance with Article 7(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000,
inform the competent authority of any animal
to which,
pursuant to this Decision, eartags have not yet been applied.

Article 6

Repeal

Decision 98/589/EC is repealed.

Article 7

Addressees

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 18 January 2006.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission