2008/297/EC: Commission Decision of 27 March 2008 amending Decision 2005/779/EC concerning animal health protection measures against swine vesicular disease in Italy (notified under document number C(2008) 1092) (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2008-03-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, animal disease, health control, swine, traceability, veterinary legislation

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Official Journal of the European Union

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(Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is not obligatory)

II

DECISIONS

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 27 March 2008

amending Decision 2005/779/EC concerning animal health protection measures against swine
vesicular disease in Italy

(notified under document number C(2008) 1092)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2008/297/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(2)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June
1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable
in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products
with a view to the completion of the internal market (1), and in
particular Article 10(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

Commission Decision 2005/779/EC of 8 November
2005 concerning animal health protection measures
against swine vesicular disease in Italy (2) was adopted
that disease in Italy.
in response to the presence of
That Decision lays down animal health rules as regards
swine vesicular disease for regions of that Member State
that are recognised as free from swine vesicular disease
and those not recognised as free from that disease.

(1) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 29. Directive as last amended by Directive
2002/33/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
(OJ
L 315, 19.11.2002, p. 14).

(2) OJ L 293, 9.11.2005, p. 28. Decision as amended by Decision

2007/9/EC (OJ L 7, 12.1.2007, p. 15).

Following outbreaks of swine vesicular disease in Italy
during 2007 in certain provinces located in regions
recognised as free from that disease, that Member State
has taken measures in accordance with Council Directive
92/119/EEC of 17 December 1992 introducing general
Community measures for the control of certain animal
diseases and specific measures relating to swine vesicular
disease (3).

Additionally, Italy has suspended the disease-free status
of such provinces where the risk of the further spread of
vesicular
Italy has also
prohibited the movement of pigs from those provinces
to other regions of Italy and to other Member States.

swine disease

is probable.

taken by Italy have proven to be
Those measures
effective. It is therefore appropriate to amend Decision
2005/779/EC in order to provide for the suspension of
the disease-free status of a province located in a region
recognised as free from swine vesicular disease, in order
to enable Italy to respond quickly and transparently in
the event of any outbreaks of that disease in regions
recognised as free from that disease. The possibility to
suspend should therefore be limited in time and, if the
risk continues following the expiry of the period set, a
Decision
accordance with
taken
Article 10(4) of Directive 90/425/EEC.

should

be

in

(3)

(4)

(3) OJ L 62, 15.3.1993, p. 69. Directive as

last amended by

Commission Directive 2007/10/EC (OJ L 63, 1.3.2007, p. 24).

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(5)

spread of

taken measures

the
Italy has

In addition, assembly centres for pigs are often a primary
swine vesicular disease.
source
for
to improve
Accordingly,
from assembly
control of
the movements of pigs
that
centres and to prevent any possible spread of
disease. Such measures,
surveillance of
as
assembly centres for pigs, and in particular as regards
the testing and sampling to be carried out, should
therefore also be increased.

regards

(6)

Decision 2005/779/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly.

(7)

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:

The measures provided for in Articles 7, 8 and 9 shall

2.
apply to the province referred to in paragraph 1.

3.
Italy may once more recognise the province referred to
in paragraph 1 as free from swine vesicular disease if the
following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) all holdings located in the province shall have been
submitted on two occasions at an interval of 28 to 40
days, to a sampling for serological testing on a number
of pigs sufficient to detect a prevalence of swine vesicular
disease of 5 % with a confidence interval of 95 %, and
the results have been negative;

(b) the measures in the protection and surveillance zones
established around outbreaks of swine vesicular disease
in the province are no longer applied in accordance with
point 7(3) and (4) and point 8(3)(b) of Annex II to
Directive 92/119/EEC;

Decision 2005/779/EC is amended as follows:

Article 1

(c)

the results of the epidemiological enquiry carried out in
accordance with Article 8 of Directive 92/119/EEC as
regards outbreaks of swine vesicular disease have not
demonstrated any risk for further spread of that disease.

1. the heading of Chapter II is replaced by the following:

‘RECOGNITION OF REGIONS, PROVINCES AND HOLDINGS
IN ITALY AS FREE FROM SWINE VESICULAR DISEASE’;

Italy

shall

immediately

4.
the
Commission and the other Member States any measures
taken pursuant
to paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 and publish
those measures. The suspension referred to in paragraph 1
shall not exceed six months.’;

communicate

to

2. the following Article 3a is inserted:

3.

in Article 5, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 3a

Suspension of the recognition of provinces in a region
recognised as free

Italy shall ensure that where an outbreak of swine
1.
vesicular disease occurs in a province in a region recognised
as free from swine vesicular disease, the recognition of that
province as free from vesicular swine fever is immediately
suspended unless the origin of the infection is clearly estab-
lished as a secondary outbreak and the epidemiological
enquiry carried out
in accordance with Article 8 of
Directive 92/119/EEC as regards the outbreak has demon-
strated that there is a negligible risk of further spread of that
disease.

At assembly centres for pigs, sampling shall be carried

‘3.
out at monthly intervals:

(a)

for serological testing on a number of pigs sufficient to
detect a prevalence of swine vesicular disease of 5 % with
a confidence interval of 95 %;

(b) for virological testing of faeces to be collected in every

pen where pigs are or have been kept.’;

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4.

in Article 6, paragraph 4 is replaced by the following:

‘4.

(a)

At assembly centres for pigs, sampling shall be carried out at monthly intervals:

for serological testing on a number of pigs sufficient to detect a prevalence of swine vesicular disease
of 5 % with a confidence interval of 95 %;

(b) for virological testing of faeces to be collected in every pen where pigs are or have been kept.’

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 2

Done at Brussels, 27 March 2008.

For the Commission

Androulla VASSILIOU
Member of the Commission