Commission Regulation (EC) No 119/2009 of 9 February 2009 laying down a list of third countries or parts thereof, for imports into, or transit through, the Community of meat of wild leporidae, of certain wild land mammals and of farmed rabbits and the veterinary certification requirements (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2009-02-09
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: health certificate, health control, import (EU), originating product, rabbit meat, third country, veterinary inspection

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COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 119/2009

of 9 February 2009

laying down a list of third countries or parts thereof, for imports into, or transit through, the
Community of meat of wild leporidae, of certain wild land mammals and of farmed rabbits and the
veterinary certification requirements

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Whereas:

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

to

regard

2002/99/EC

Council Directive

Having
of
16 December 2002 laying down the animal health rules
governing the production, processing, distribution and intro­
human
duction
consumption (1), and in particular the first subparagraph of
point 1 of Article 8, Article 9(2)(b) and Article 9(4)(b) and (c)
thereof,

products

animal

origin

for

of

of

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene
of foodstuffs (2), and in particular Article 12 thereof,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down
specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin (3), and in
particular Article 9 thereof,

(1)

(2)

(3)

Commission Decision 2000/585/EC (6) draws up a list of
from which Member States are to
third countries
authorise imports of rabbit meat and certain wild and
farmed game meat, and lays down the animal and public
health and the veterinary certification conditions for such
imports.

In the interests of consistency of Community legislation,
Community rules for imports of meat of wild leporidae,
farmed rabbits
of certain wild land mammals and of
should take into account the public health requirements
laid down in Regulations (EC) No 852/2004, (EC) No
853/2004, (EC) No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004.

The measures provided for in this Regulation shall be
without prejudice to legislation implementing Council
Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on
the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by
regulating trade therein (7).

into the Community of

(4) With a view to harmonising Community conditions for
commodities
imports
concerned, as well as making them more transparent
and simplifying the legislative procedure for amending
such conditions, those conditions should be set out in
the appropriate model veterinary certificates set out in
this Regulation.

the

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down
the organisation of official controls on
specific rules
products of animal origin intended for human consumption (4),
and in particular Articles 11(1) and 14(4) thereof,

for

(5)

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on official
controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance
with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare
rules (5), and in particular Article 48(1) thereof,

(1) OJ L 18, 23.1.2003, p. 11.
(2) OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 1, corrected by OJ L 226, 25.6.2004, p. 3.
(3) OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 55, as corrected by OJ L 226, 25.6.2004,

p. 22.

(4) OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 206, as corrected by OJ L 226, 25.6.2004,

p. 83.

(5) OJ L 165, 30.4.2004, p. 1, as corrected by OJ L 191, 28.5.2004,

p. 1.

during

transit,

storage

through

The veterinary certificates for imports into and transit,
the
including
Community of meat of wild leporidae, of certain wild
land mammals and of
farmed rabbits should comply
with the appropriate standard models set out in Annex
to Commission Decision 2007/240/EC of 16 April
I
for
2007 laying down new veterinary
importing live
and
the Community
products
92/260/EEC,
pursuant
95/328/EC,
93/195/EEC,
2000/572/EC,
96/333/EC,
2000/666/EC,
2002/613/EC,
2000/585/EC,
2003/779/EC,
2003/804/EC,
2003/56/EC,
2003/881/EC,
2003/863/EC,
2003/858/EC,
2004/595/EC,
2004/438/EC,
2004/407/EC,
2004/639/EC and 2006/168/EC (8).

certificates
embryos, ova

of
to Decisions

93/196/EEC,
96/539/EC,

animal origin into

79/542/EEC,

93/197/EEC,

96/540/EC,

animals,

semen,

(6) OJ L 251, 6.10.2000, p. 1.
(7) OJ L 61, 3.3.1997, p. 1.
(8) OJ L 104, 21.4.2007, p. 37.

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(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

for imports into and transit,

The model veterinary certificates, set out in this Regu­
lation,
including storage
during transit, through the Community of meat of wild
leporidae, of certain wild land mammals and of farmed
rabbits should also be compatible with the Traces system,
as provided for in Commission Decision 2004/292/EC of
30 March 2004 on the introduction of
the Traces
system (1).

third countries or parts thereof,

The list of
listed in
Annex II to Council Decision 79/542/EEC (2) should be
used for imports into, or transit through, the Community
of meat of wild leporidae and of farmed rabbits. The list
of countries should be laid down for imports into or
transit through, the Community of meat of wild land
mammals other than ungulates and leporidae.

Specific conditions for transit via the Community of
consignments to and from Russia should be provided
for, owing to the geographical situation of Kaliningrad
which only concerns Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

the use of
the
To avoid any disruption of
veterinary
accordance with
issued
Decision 2000/585/EC should be authorised during a
transitional period.

trade,
in

certificates

(10)

In the interests of clarity of Community legislation,
Commission Decision 2000/585/EC should be repealed
and replaced by this Regulation.

(11)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with
Standing
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

opinion

the

the

of

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

1.

This Regulation lays down:

(a) a list of third countries or parts thereof from which the
following commodities may be imported into, or transit
through the Community:

(i) meat of wild leporidae not containing offal, except for

unskinned and uneviscerated wild leporidae;

(ii) meat of wild land mammals other than ungulates and

leporidae, not containing offal;

(iii) meat of farmed rabbits;

(b) the

veterinary

certification

commodities
commodities).

listed in points

requirements
(ii)
(i),

for
and (iii)

the
(the

2. Without prejudice to the restriction provided for
in
Article 5(2), for the purposes of this Regulation, transit covers
storage during transit (including putting into storage, as referred
to in Article 12(4) and Article 13 of Council Directive
97/78/EC (3)).

3.

This Regulation shall apply without prejudice to:

(i) specific

certification

requirements

provided

for

in

Community agreements with third countries;

(ii) the relevant rules on certification contained within legis­
lation implementing Regulation (EC) No 338/97 on the
protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating
trade therein.

Article 2

Definition
For the purposes of this Regulation, ‘wild leporidae’ means wild
rabbits and hares.

Article 3

third countries or parts thereof

Lists of
from which
commodities may be imported into, or transit through,
the Community

The commodities
through,
thereof listed or referred to in Part 1 of Annex I.

transit
shall only be imported into, or
the Community from a third country or parts

Article 4

Veterinary certification

1.
Commodities imported into the Community shall be
accompanied by a veterinary certificate drawn up in accordance
with the model certificate set out
the
commodity concerned, completed in accordance with the
notes set out in Part 4 of Annex I.

in Annex II,

for

(1) OJ L 94, 31.3.2004, p. 63.
(2) OJ L 146, 14.6.1979, p. 15.

(3) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 9.

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Commodities in transit through the Community shall be
2.
accompanied by a certificate drawn up in accordance with the
model certificate set out in Annex III.

(d) the consignment is certified as acceptable for transit on the
common veterinary entry document issued by the official
veterinarian at the border inspection post of entry.

3.
Compliance with the additional guarantees, as required for
a certain Member State or part thereof in columns 4, 6 and 8 of
the Table in Part 1 of Annex I and as described in Part 3 of
Annex I, shall be certified by completing the appropriate section
in the veterinary certificate for the commodity concerned.

Electronic

4.
certification
harmonised at Community level may be used.

other

and

agreed

systems

Article 5

Derogation for transit through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland

1.
By way of derogation from Article 4(2), transit by road or
by rail shall be authorised between the border inspection posts
in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland listed in the Annex to
Commission Decision 2001/881/EC (1), of consignments of
commodities coming from and bound for Russia, directly or
via another third country, where the following conditions are
met:

(a)

the consignment is sealed with a serially numbered seal by
the official veterinarian at the border inspection post of
entry;

(b) the documents accompanying the consignment, as provided
for in Article 7 of Directive 97/78/EC, are stamped with the
words ‘Only for transit to Russia via the EC’ on each page
by the official veterinarian at the border inspection post of
entry;

The consignments, as referred to in paragraph 1, may not
2.
be unloaded or put into storage, as referred to in Article 12(4)
or in Article 13 of Directive 97/78/EC, within the Community.

Regular audits shall be conducted by the competent
3.
authority to ensure that
the number of consignments, as
referred to in paragraph 1, and the corresponding quantities
of products
leaving the Community correspond with the
number and quantities entering the Community.

Article 6

Repeal

Decision 2000/585/EC is repealed.

References to the repealed Decision shall be construed as
references to this Regulation and shall be read in accordance
with the correlation table in Annex IV.

Article 7

Transitional provisions

Commodities in respect of which the relevant veterinary certi­
in accordance with Decision
ficates have been issued
2000/585/EC may be imported into or transit
through the
Community until 30 June 2009.

Article 8

Entry into force and applicability

This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following
its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

(c)

the procedural requirements provided for in Article 11 of
Directive 97/78/EC are complied with;

It shall apply from 1 June 2009.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 9 February 2009.

For the Commission

Androulla VASSILIOU
Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 326, 11.12.2001, p. 44.

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ANNEX I

MEAT OF WILD LEPORIDAE, OF CERTAIN WILD LAND MAMMALS AND OF FARMED RABBITS

List of third countries and parts thereof and additional guarantees

PART 1

Country

Code of
territory

Wild

Farmed rabbits

Leporidae

Wild land mammals other than
ungulates and leporidae

AG

4

MC

3

WL

WL

WL

WL

WL

WL

MC

5

RM

RM

RM

RM

RM

RM

AG

6

AG

8

MC

7

WM

WM

WM

WM

WM

1

Australia

Canada

Greenland

New Zealand

Russia

2

AU

CA

GL

NZ

RU

Any other third country or part
thereof listed in columns 1 and 3
of the table in Part 1 of Annex II
to Decision 79/542/EEC

MC: Model veterinary certificate.
AG: Additional guarantees.

PART 2

Model veterinary certificates

Model(s):

‘WL’: Model veterinary certificate for meat of wild leporidae (rabbits and hares)

‘WM’: Model veterinary certificate for meat of wild land mammals other than ungulates and leporidae

‘RM’: Model veterinary certificate for meat of farmed rabbits

PART 3

Additional guarantees

PART 4

Notes for veterinary certification

(a) Veterinary certificates based on the models in Part 2 of this Annex and following the layout of the model that
corresponds to the commodity concerned shall be issued by the exporting third country or part thereof. They shall
contain, in the order appearing in the model, the attestations that are required for any third country and, where
applicable, those additional health requirements required for the exporting third country or part thereof.

Where additional guarantees are required by the Member State of destination for the commodity concerned, these
shall also be entered on the original of the veterinary certificate.

(b) A separate, single certificate must be presented for each consignment of the commodity concerned, exported to the
same destination from a territory appearing in column 2 of the table in Part 1 of this Annex and transported in the
same railway wagon, lorry, aircraft or ship.

(c) The original of certificates shall consist of a single page printed on both sides or, where more text is required, such

that all the pages form a whole and cannot be separated.

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(d) The certificate shall be drawn up in at least one official language of the Member State where the border inspection
takes place and in one official language of the Member State of destination. However, those Member States may allow
another Community language instead of their own, accompanied, if necessary, by an official translation.

(e) Where additional pages are attached to the certificate for the purposes of identifying the items making up the
the certificate,

consignment, such additional pages shall also be considered to form part of
provided the signature and stamp of the certifying official veterinarian appear on each page.

the original of

(f) Where the certificate, including any additional pages as provided for in (e), comprises more than one page, each page
shall be numbered ‘–x (page number) of y (total number of pages)–’ on the bottom and shall bear the code number of the
certificate allocated by the competent authority on the top.

(g) The original of the certificate must be completed and signed by an official veterinarian not more than 24 hours prior
to loading of the consignment for imports into the Community, unless otherwise stated in the Community legislation.
To that end, the competent authority of the exporting third country shall ensure that principles of certification
equivalent to those laid down in Council Directive 96/93/EC (1) are followed.

The colour of the signature shall be different from that of the printing. The same rule shall apply to stamps other than
embossed stamps.

(h) The original of the certificate must accompany the consignment as far as the border inspection post of entry into the

European Community.

(1) OJ L 13, 16.1.1997, p. 28.

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MODEL VETERINARY CERTIFICATES FOR THE IMPORT OF MEAT OF WILD LEPORIDAE, CERTAIN WILD
LAND MAMMALS AND FARMED RABBITS INTO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

ANNEX II

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ANNEX III

(as referred to in Article 4(2))

Model veterinary certificate for the transit/storage of meat of wild leporidae, farmed rabbits and wild land
mammals other than ungulates

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ANNEX IV

(as referred to in Article 6)

Correlation Table

Decision 2000/585/EC

This Regulation

Article 2

—

Article 2a (a)

Article 2a (b, c and d)

Article 2b

Article 4(1)

Article 4(2)

Article 3

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Article 4

Article 5

Article 6

Article 7

Article 8