Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/3109 of 6 December 2024 concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Bulgaria (notified under document C(2024)8778)
Date: 2024-12-06
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: Bulgaria, Pazardzhik region, animal plague, goat, sheep, trade restriction, transport of animals, veterinary inspection, viral disease








L_202403109EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2024/3109


9.12.2024







            COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2024/3109
of 6 December 2024
         
concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Bulgaria


(notified under document C(2024)8778)


(Only the Bulgarian text is authentic)
(Text with EEA relevance)


THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,


Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (1), and in particular Article 259(2) thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


Infection with peste des petits ruminants virus is an infectious disease affecting caprine and ovine animals and can have a severe impact on the concerned animal population and the profitability of farming causing disturbance to movements of consignments of those animals and products thereof within the Union and exports to third countries.












(2)


In the event of an outbreak of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in caprine or ovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments of caprine or ovine animals.












(3)


Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 (2) supplements the rules for the control of the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and defined as category A, B and C diseases in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 (3). In particular, Articles 21 and 22 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 provide for the establishment of a restricted zone in the event of an outbreak of a category A disease, including infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, and for certain measures to be applied therein. In addition, Article 21(1) of that Delegated Regulation provides that the restricted zone is to comprise a protection zone, a surveillance zone, and, if necessary, further restricted zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.












(4)


Bulgaria has informed the Commission of the current situation in its territory as regards infection with peste des petits ruminants virus. An outbreak of that disease was confirmed on 25 November 2024 in kept caprine and ovine animals in Velingrad municipality, in the region of Pazardzhik. In response and in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, Bulgaria has established a restricted zone, which comprises protection, surveillance and a further restricted zone, where the disease control measures laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 are being applied












(5)


In order to control the spread of the disease, to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade by third countries, it is necessary to rapidly identify at Union level the restricted zone for infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, which comprises the protection and surveillance zones, as well as a further restricted zone, in Bulgaria.












(6)


The size and the duration of the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones, as well as the measures to be applied within those zones should be based on the criteria set out in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, including the epidemiological situation as regards infection with peste de petits ruminants virus in the areas affected by that disease and the overall epidemiological situation of infection with peste de petits ruminants virus in the Member State concerned as well as the level of risk for the further spread of that disease. The duration of the measures should also take into account the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).












(7)


Due to the severity and urgency of the situation and in order to immediately limit the spread of the disease after this first occurrence in that Member State, it is also necessary to ensure that animal movements from the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones to destinations outside the external perimeter of the further restricted zone do not take place, and to exclude possible derogations from the prohibition to move animals as foreseen in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, for a certain period of time, in order to prevent long distance spread of the disease.












(8)


Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus and the need to prevent the disease from spreading from the affected establishments in Bulgaria to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States, the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision should apply as soon as possible.












(9)


Accordingly, pending the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones in Bulgaria should be established immediately and listed in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that zoning fixed and animal movements should be restricted.












(10)


Taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards peste de petits ruminants, this Decision should apply until 28 February 2025.












(11)


This Decision is to be reviewed at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1
Bulgaria shall ensure that:






(a)


a restricted zone, which comprises protection and surveillance zones as well as a further restricted zone, is established immediately by the competent authority of that Member State in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and under the conditions laid down in that Article;










(b)


the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones referred to in point (a) comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to this Decision;










(c)


the measures required to be applied in the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones, are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision.






Article 2
Movements of sheep and goats from the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones to a destination located outside the external perimeter of the further restricted zone as provided for in Point B of the Annex to this Decision are prohibited until the dates listed for each zone in the Annex to this Decision.


Article 3
This Decision shall apply until 28 February 2025.


Article 4
This Decision is addressed to the Republic of Bulgaria.




Done at Brussels, 6 December 2024.


For the Commission

Olivér VÁRHELYI
            

Member of the Commission






(1)  
            OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj.

(2)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases (OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 64, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/687/oj).

(3)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 of 3 December 2018 on the application of certain disease prevention and control rules to categories of listed diseases and establishing a list of species and groups of species posing a considerable risk for the spread of those listed diseases (OJ L 308, 4.12.2018, p. 21, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/1882/oj).




ANNEX
A.   Protection and surveillance zones established around the confirmed outbreak









Regional unit and ADIS reference number of the outbreak




Areas established as protection and surveillance zones, part of the restricted zone in Bulgaria referred to in Article 1




Date until applicable






Pazardzhik region

BG-PPR-2024-00001


Protection zone:
Those parts of Pazardzhik region, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.0156, Long. 23.9989 (2024/1)


30.12.2024




Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Pazardzhik region, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.0156, Long. 23.9989 (2024/1) excluding the areas contained in the protection zone


8.1.2025




Surveillance zone:
Those parts of Pazardzhik region, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.0156, Long. 23.9989 (2024/1)


31.12.2024 to 8.1.2025




B.   Further restricted zones









Regional unit




Areas included in the further restricted zone established in Bulgaria as referred to in Article 1




Date until applicable






Region of Pazardzhik









—


Entire territory of Pazardzhik region, excluding the areas included in any protection or surveillance zone.






7.2.2025










—


Entire territory of Pazardzhik region






1.1.2025 to 7.2.2025







ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/3109/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)