2006/533/EC: Commission Decision of  28 July 2006  concerning certain temporary protection measures in relation to highly pathogenic avian influenza in Croatia  (notified under document number C(2006) 3352)   (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2006-07-28
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Croatia, animal disease, animal product, health control, import restriction, poultry, veterinary inspection

2.8.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 212/19

COMMISSION DECISION

of 28 July 2006

concerning certain temporary protection measures in relation to highly pathogenic avian influenza
in Croatia

(notified under document number C(2006) 3352)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2006/533/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

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), (3) and (7) 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),
(6)
thereof,

(5),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Avian influenza is an infectious viral disease in poultry
and other birds, causing mortality and disturbances
which can quickly take epizootic proportions liable to
present a serious threat
to animal and public health
and to reduce
sharply the profitability of poultry
farming. There is a risk that the disease agent might be
spread through international trade in live poultry and
other birds or their products.

Following the outbreaks of avian influenza, caused by a
in south-eastern
highly pathogenic H5N1 virus strain,
Asia starting in December 2003,
the Commission
adopted several protection measures in relation to avian
influenza. Those measures
in particular,
Commission Decision 2005/758/EC of 27 October
2005 concerning
in
relation to a suspicion of highly pathogenic avian

protection measures

included,

certain

in

and

Croatia

repealing

influenza
Decision
2005/749/EC (3). That Decision provides that Member
States are to suspend imports from certain parts of
farmed and wild
Croatia of
feathered game and certain other live birds,
including
pet birds and hatching eggs of those species, as well as
certain products of birds. Decision 2005/758/EC is to
apply until 31 July 2006.

live poultry,

ratites,

(3)

(4)

(5)

authorities of

Croatia has notified the Commission that the competent
authorities of that country are now applying protection
to those applied by the
measures that are equivalent
competent
as
the Member
provided in Commission Decision 2006/115/EC of 17
February 2006 concerning certain protection measures
in relation to highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild
birds
and repealing Decisions
2006/86/EC, 2006/90/EC, 2006/91/EC, 2006/94/EC,
2006/104/EC and 2006/105/EC (4).

in the Community

States,

to the

Croatia has furthermore notified the Commission that it
immediately notify the Commission of any future
will
changes
animal health status of Croatia,
including specifically any further outbreaks of avian
influenza that may occur in wild birds. The Commission
will immediately inform the Member States and forward
any information received from the Croatian authorities to
them.

In the light of those protection measures being applied
by the competent authorities of Croatia and the under-
taking by Croatia to immediately notify the Commission
of any future changes to its animal health status in
the protection measures
relation to avian influenza,
applicable
concerning
Community
in
outbreaks of
country should be
influenza in that
amended to allow imports from those parts of Croatia
for which the competent authority of Croatia has not
established equivalent protection measures as laid down
in Decision 2006/115/EC,
following confirmation of
avian influenza, caused by a highly pathogenic H5N1
virus strain in a wild bird.

legislation

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

Act of Accession.

(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 by OJ L 191, 28.5.2004, p. 1).

(3) OJ L 285, 28.10.2005, p. 50. Decision as last amended by Decision

2006/405/EC (OJ L 158, 10.6.2006, p. 14).

(4) OJ L 48, 18.2.2006, p. 28. Decision as amended by Decision

2006/277/EC (OJ L 103, 12.4.2006, p. 29).

L 212/20

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

2.8.2006

Commission Decision 2005/432/EC of 3 June 2005
laying down the animal and public health conditions
and model certificates for imports of meat products for
human consumption from third countries and repealing
Decisions 97/41/EC, 97/221/EC and 97/222/EC (1) lays
down the list of third countries from which Member
States may authorise the importation of certain meat
products and establishes treatment regimes considered
effective in inactivating the respective pathogens.
In
the risk of disease transmission via
order to prevent
such products, appropriate treatment must be applied
depending on the health status of the country of origin
and the species the product is obtained from. It appears
therefore appropriate, that imports of meat products of
wild feathered game originating in Croatia and treated to
a temperature of at least 70 °C throughout the product
should continue to be authorised.

Given the epidemiology situation in Croatia and neigh-
bouring countries and the risk still posed by avian
influenza, the protection measures provided for in this
Decision should apply until 31 December 2006.

For the sake of clarity and consistency of Community
legislation, Decision 2005/758/EC should be repealed
and replaced by this Decision.

(c) meat preparations and meat products consisting of or

containing meat of wild feathered game;

(d) raw pet food and unprocessed feed material containing any

parts of wild feathered game; and

(e) non-treated game trophies from any birds.

Article 2

By way of derogation from point (c) of Article 1, Member States
shall authorise the importation of meat preparations and meat
products consisting of or containing meat of wild feathered
game provided that the meat has undergone at least one of
the specific treatments referred to under points B, C or D in
Part 4 of Annex II to Decision 2005/432/EC.

Article 3

shall

The Member States
immediately take the necessary
measures to comply with this Decision and publish those
immediately inform the Commission
measures. They shall
thereof.

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

Article 4

Decision 2005/758/EC is repealed.

Article 5

This Decision shall apply until 31 December 2006.

Article 6

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 28 July 2006.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission

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

Member States shall suspend imports, from that part of the
territory of Croatia referred to in the Annex to this Decision,
of the following:

(a)

live poultry, ratites, farmed and wild feathered game,
live
birds other than poultry as defined in Article 1, third indent,
of Commission Decision 2000/666/EC (2),
including birds
accompanying their owners (pet birds), and hatching eggs
of these species;

(b) fresh meat of wild feathered game;

(1) OJ L 151, 14.6.2005, p. 3. Decision as amended by Decision

2006/330/EC (OJ L 121, 6.5.2006, p. 43).

(2) OJ L 278, 31.10.2000, p. 26.

2.8.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 212/21

ANNEX

Part of the territory of Croatia referred to in Article 1

ISO country code

Name of country

Part of territory

HR

Croatia

In Croatia: all areas of
competent
measures
2006/115/EC.

authorities

that are equivalent

the territory of Croatia for which the
protection
of Croatia
to those laid down in Decision

formally

apply