2006/615/EC: Commission Decision of 13 September 2006 granting temporary approval for the systems for the identification and registration of ovine and caprine animals in the United Kingdom in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 (notified under document number C(2006) 4086)
Date: 2006-09-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, goat, health control, sheep, traceability, veterinary legislation

L 252/28

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

15.9.2006

COMMISSION DECISION

of 13 September 2006

granting temporary approval for the systems for the identification and registration of ovine and
caprine animals in the United Kingdom in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004

(notified under document number C(2006) 4086)

(Only the English text is authentic)

(2006/615/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

two systems to be reviewed in the light of inspections
carried out by 31 January 2006.

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 of 17
December 2003 establishing a system for the identification and
registration of ovine and caprine animals and amending Regu-
lation (EC) No 1782/2003 and Directives 92/102/EEC and
64/432/EEC (1), and in particular Article 4(2)(d) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 lays down rules for the
establishment of systems for the identification and regis-
tration of ovine and caprine animals.
It provides that
those animals on a holding are to be identified within
the time limits laid down in that Regulation.

In addition, Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 provides that
ovine and caprine animals are to be identified by a first
and second means of identification set out in that Regu-
lation. It lays down that the second means of identifi-
cation may be replaced until 1 January 2008 by a system
which complies with that Regulation and is approved by
the Commission, except in the case of animals involved
in intra-Community trade.

Therefore, ovine and caprine animals involved in intra-
fully comply with Regulation
Community trade must
(EC) No 21/2004. Article 4(2)(b) of
that Regulation
provides that such animals must be identified by a
second means of
the
competent authority and conforming to the technical
characteristics set out in the Section A.4 of the Annex
to the Regulation.

identification approved by

Commission Decision 2005/617/EC of 17 August 2005
temporarily recognising the systems for identification and
registration of ovine and caprine animals in Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, according to
Article 4(2)(d) of Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 (2) granted
provisional approval
for those systems until 30 April
2006. That Decision provided for that approval for the

(1) OJ L 5, 9.1.2004, p. 8.
(2) OJ L 214, 19.8.2005, p. 63.

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

inspections

cooperation with

the United Kingdom,

the
In
Commission carried out on-the-spot
to
evaluate the operation of those systems and to verify
the implementation of the commitments given by the
United Kingdom concerning those systems. The final
report and an acceptable action plan from the United
Kingdom are now available and were discussed in the
the Standing Committee on the Food
framework of
Chain and Animal Health.

raised in the on-the-spot

The United Kingdom has undertaken to address the
concerns
to
evaluate the operation of those systems, and in particular
to timely complete the proposed action plan by taking all
the necessary measures reinforcing the systems to ensure
compliance with Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 before
31 December 2006.

inspections

animals

and caprine

The systems for the identification and registration of
ovine
in Great Britain and
Northern Ireland should therefore be approved for a
new temporary period in order to permit the replace-
ment of the second means of identification for ovine
and caprine animals by that system, except in the case
of animals involved in intra-Community trade.

In order to avoid any disrutption of trade, the temporary
approval of systems for the identification and registration
in Great Britain and
of ovine and caprine animals
from 30
Northern Ireland should be retroactive as
April 2006 to cover the whole period of implementation
of the systems.

The competent authority should carry out the appro-
priate on–the-spot checks in order to verify the proper
implementation of the systems for the identification and
registration of ovine and caprine animals.

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

in this Decision are in
Standing
the

opinion

the

of

15.9.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 252/29

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The systems for the identification and registration of ovine and
caprine animals provided for in Article 4(2)(c) of Regulation
(EC) No 21/2004,
implemented by the United Kingdom in
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, are hereby approved for
the period from 1 May 2006 to 30 June 2007.

for the identification and registration of ovine and caprine
animals, as referred to in Article 1.

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland.

Article 2

Done at Brussels, 13 September 2006.

Without prejudice to provisions to be laid down in accordance
with Article 10(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 the United
Kingdom shall ensure that appropriate on-the-spot checks are
carried out each year by the competent authority to verify
compliance by keepers with the requirements of the systems

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission