2006/705/EC: Commission Decision of 20 October 2006 approving the plan for preventive vaccination against avian influenza of subtype H5 in certain holdings in North Rhine-Westphalia submitted by Germany under Council Directive 2005/94/EC (notified under document number C(2006) 4906)
Date: 2006-10-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: North Rhine-Westphalia, animal disease, disease prevention, health control, poultry farming, vaccination, veterinary inspection

L 291/38

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

21.10.2006

COMMISSION DECISION

of 20 October 2006

approving the plan for preventive vaccination against avian influenza of subtype H5 in certain
holdings in North Rhine-Westphalia submitted by Germany under Council Directive 2005/94/EC

(notified under document number C(2006) 4906)

(Only the German text is authentic)

(2006/705/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(6)

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

in this Decision are in
Standing
the

opinion

the

of

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Having regard to Council Directive 2005/94/EC of 20
December 2005 on Community measures for the control of
avian influenza and repealing Directive 92/40/EEC (1), and in
particular, Article 57(2) thereof,

Article 1

Preventive vaccination plan

Whereas:

1.
The plan for preventive vaccination against highly
pathogenic avian influenza of subtype H5 to be applied until
30 September 2008, submitted by Germany on 24 August
2006 is approved.

Germany has recently experienced a high number of
positive findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza A
virus of subtype H5N1 in wild birds. Outbreaks of the
disease have also occurred in a poultry holding and in a
zoo.

The preventive vaccination shall be carried out with an inac-
tivated vaccine of avian influenza of the subtype H5N2 in three
selected poultry holdings
in
Germany in accordance with that plan.

in North Rhine-Westphalia

Vaccination against avian influenza of subtypes H5 and
H7 may be a valuable tool for disease prevention and
control. However, it has not yet been applied on poultry
holdings in Germany.

2.
Official surveillance accompanied by appropriate biose-
curity measures, as set out in the preventive vaccination plan,
shall be carried out
in the poultry holdings referred to in
paragraph 1.

Germany wishes to gather further data on the use of
vaccination by means of a large-scale field study.

in three commercial holdings

On 24 August 2006 Germany has
submitted for
approval a preventive vaccination plan to be carried
out
located in North
Rhine-Westphalia in the framework of a study aimed at
assessing the protective efficacy of an avian influenza
vaccine of
subtype H5 by applying vaccination to
poultry kept under normal field conditions.

The preventive vaccination plan submitted contains the
information required by Article 56(2) of Directive
2005/94/EC and is in accordance with a Differentiating
Infected from Vaccinated Animal (DIVA) strategy. In the
light of an assessment of the plan and discussions with
Germany it appears appropriate to approve the plan.

(1) OJ L 10, 14.1.2006, p. 16.

The preventive vaccination plan shall be implemented effi-

3.
ciently.

The Commission shall publish the preventive vaccination

4.
plan.

Article 2

Measures restricting movements

1.

The competent authority shall ensure that:

(a) poultry, eggs, poultry carcasses and fresh poultry meat from
poultry kept on the holdings referred to in Article 1(1)
(‘poultry and other commodities’) are not moved from
those holdings;

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

21.10.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 291/39

(b) poultry and other captive birds are not introduced into the
holdings referred to in Article 1(1) during the implemen-
tation of the preventive vaccination plan.

cleansed and disinfected following each
commodities are
transport with disinfectants and methods of use approved by
the competent authority.

The competent authority may, by way of derogation from
2.
paragraph 1(a) and in accordance with the preventive vacci-
nation plan, authorise the following movements of poultry
and other commodities:

(a) movement to the national reference laboratory for avian

influenza in Germany;

(b) transport for immediate disposal within Germany following
the collection of appropriate samples to be dispatched to
that laboratory.

Article 3

Cleansing and disinfection of holdings and means of
transport

The competent authority shall ensure that

1.
the poultry
holdings referred to in Article 1(1) are cleansed and disinfected
in accordance with the instructions of the competent authority
following the removal of all poultry from the holdings.

2.
transport

The competent authority shall ensure that all means of
other

for movements

poultry

used

and

of

Article 4

Reports

Germany shall submit a report
to the Commission on the
implementation of the preventive vaccination plan within one
month from the date of application of this Decision.

It shall present quarterly reports at the Standing Committee on
the Food Chain and Animal Health as from 3 October 2006.

Article 5

Addresses

This Decision is addressed to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Done at Brussels, 20 October 2006.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission