CELEX: 51996GC0539
Language: en
Date: 2008-11-03
Title: Draft Commission decision of […] on animal health requirements and veterinary certification for imports into the Community of semen of the equine species (…/…/EC) (Codified version)

EN

|[pic]                     |COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES                                                                           |

                                        Brussels,
                                        C(2005)

                                                                      Draft

                                                               COMMISSION DECISION

                                                                      of […]

             on animal health requirements and veterinary certification for imports into the Community of semen of the equine species

                                                                     (…/…/EC)

                                                                (Codified version)

                                            ê 96/539/EC (adapted)

                                                                      Draft

                                                               COMMISSION DECISION

                                                                      of […]

             on animal health requirements and veterinary certification for imports into the Community of semen of the equine species

                                                            (Text with EEA relevance)

                                                                     (…/…/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 92/65/EEC of 13 July 1992 laying down animal health requirements governing  trade  in  and  imports  into  the
Community of animals, semen, ova and embryos not subject to animal health requirements laid down in  specific  Community  rules  referred  to  in
Annex A(I) to Directive 90/425/EEC[1], and in particular Articles 11(2), 17 and 18 thereof,

Whereas:

                                            ê 

   1) Commission Decision 96/539/EC of 4 September 1996 on animal health requirements and veterinary certification for imports into the Community
      of semen of the equine species[2] has been substantially amended[3]. In the interests of clarity and rationality the said  Decision  should
      be codified.

                                            ê 96/539/EC Recital 1 (adapted)

   2) . Ö By Decision 2004/211/EC[4] the Commission established a list of third countries from which Member  States  authorise  imports  of  live
      equidae and semen, ova and embryos of the equine species. Õ

                                            ê 96/539/EC Recital 2 (adapted)

   3) The animal health condition and the veterinary certification Ö should Õ be established for imports into the Community of fresh, chilled and
      frozen semen of the equine species in accordance with the requirements of Directive 92/65/EEC.

                                            ê 96/539/EC Recital 3 (adapted)

   4) Certain infectious diseases of equidae are transmissible via semen. Therefore specific animal health tests are required  to  identify  such
      diseases. Ö Those tests Õ must be carried out according to specific test programmes reflecting the movement of the donor stallions prior to
      and during the period of semen collection.

                                            ê 96/539/EC Recital 4 (adapted)

   5) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee Ö on  the  Food  Chain  and  Animal
      Health Õ ,

                                            ê 96/539/EC

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

                                            ê 96/539/EC (adapted)

                                                                    Article 1

Member States shall authorise imports of fresh, chilled or frozen semen of the equine species complying with the requirements set Ö out Õ in  the
specimen animal health certificate in Annex Ö I Õ and accompanied by such a certificate duly completed.

                                            ê 

                                                                    Article 2

Decision 96/539/EC is repealed.

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

                                            ê 96/539/EC (adapted)

                                                                    Article 3

The Decision is addressed to Ö the Õ Member States.

Done at Brussels, […]

      For the Commission
      […]
      Member of the Commission

                                            ê 96/539/EC (adapted)
                                            è1 2000/284/EC Art. 2   Corrigendum, OJ L 212, 23.8.2000, p. 11

                                                                   ANNEX Ö I Õ

                                                                      [pic]

       13.  I, the undersigned official veterinarian of .................... (insert name of exporting country), have read and am  familiar  with
       Council Directive 92/65/EEC as amended and certify that:

13.1. the semen collection centre in which  the  semen  described  above  was  collected,  processed  and  stored  for  export  to  the  European
       Ö Community Õ :

13.1.1.     is approved and supervised by the competent authority according to the conditions of Chapter I, Annex D of Directive 92/65/EEC;

13.1.2.     is situated on the territory or in the case of regionalisation according to Article 13 of Ö Council Õ Directive 90/426/EEC in a  part
       of the territory (1) of the country of export which was on the day the semen was collected until the date of despatch free of:

         – African horse sickness, in accordance with Ö Community Õ legislation,

         – Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis for two years,

         – glanders for six months,

         – dourine for six months;

13.1.3.     was during the period commencing 30 days prior to the date of collection of the semen until the date of its despatch not  subject  to
       a prohibition order for animal health reasons which laid down one of the following conditions:

13.1.3.1.   if not all the animals of species susceptible to the disease located on the holding were slaughtered, the prohibition lasted for:

         – six months, beginning on the day on  which  the  equidae  suffering  from  the  disease  are  slaughtered,  in  the  case  of  equine
           encephalomyelitis,

         – a period required to carry out with negative result two Coggins tests three months apart on the animals remaining after the  infected
           animals have been slaughtered, in the case of infectious equine anaemia,

         – six months, in the case of vesicular stomatitis,

         – one month from the last recorded case, in the case of rabies,

         – 15 days from the last recorded case, in the case of anthrax;

13.1.3.2.   if all the animals of species susceptible to the disease located on the holding have been slaughtered and the  premises  disinfected,
       the prohibition lasted for 30 days, or 15 days in the case of anthrax, beginning on the day on which  following  the  destruction  of  the
       animals the disinfection of the premises was satisfactorily completed;

13.1.4.     contained during the period commencing 30 days prior to semen collection and lasting until the date  of  its  dispatch  only  equidae
       which were free of clinical signs of equine viral arteritis and contagious equine metritis;

13.2. prior to entering the semen collection centre the donor stallions and any other equidae located in the centre:

13.2.1.     were continuously resident for three months (or since entry if they were directly imported  from  a  Member  State  of  the  European
       Ö Community Õ during the three months period) on the territory or in the case of regionalization in a part of the  territory  (1)  of  the
       country of export which was during that period free of:

         – African horse sickness, in accordance with Community legislation,

         – Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis for two years,

         – glanders for six months,

         – dourine for six months;

13.2.2.     either originated from the territory of the country of export which was on the day of admission  to  the  centre  free  of  vesicular
       stomatitis for six months

      or

      were tested by a virus neutralisation test for vesicular stomatitis on a blood sample taken on ....................(2), this  being  within
       14 days prior to entering the centre, with negative result at a serum dilution of 1 in 12(1);

13.2.3.     originated from holdings which on the day of admission to the centre fulfilled the requirements of paragraph 13.1.3. above;

13.3. the semen described above was collected from donor stallions, which:

13.3.1.     on the day the semen was collected have not shown clinical signs of an infectious or contagious disease;

13.3.2.     during at least 30 days prior to collection of the semen have not been used for natural service;

13.3.3.     during the last 30 days prior to collection of the semen have been kept on holdings where no equine animal showed clinical  signs  of
       equine viral arteritis;

13.3.4.     during the last 60 days prior to collection of the semen have been kept on holdings where no equine animal showed clinical  signs  of
       contagious equine metritis;

13.3.5.     to the best of my knowledge and as far as I could ascertain have not been in contact with equidae suffering  from  an  infectious  or
       contagious disease during the 15 days immediately preceding the collection of the semen;

13.3.6.     have undergone the following animal health tests carried out in a laboratory recognised by  the  competent  authority  in  accordance
       with a test programme as specified in 13.3.7.:

13.3.6.1.   Ö an agargel-immunodiffusion Õ test (Coggins test) for equine infectious anaemia with negative result è1 (5) ç;

13.3.6.2.   either a serum neutralisation test for equine viral arteritis with negative result at a serum dilution of 1 in 4

      or

      a virus isolation test for equine viral arteritis carried out with negative result on an aliquot of the entire semen;

13.3.6.3.   a test for contagious equine metritis carried out on two occasions with  an  interval  of  seven  days  by  isolation  of  Taylorella
       equigenitalis from pre-ejaculatory fluid or a semen sample and from genital swabs taken at least from the penile sheath, urethra and  from
       the urethral fossa with negative result in each case;

13.3.7.     have been subjected to one of the following test programmes: (3)

13.3.7.1.   the donor stallion was continuously resident in the collection centre for at least 30 days prior to the semen collection, and  during
       the collection period, and no equidae in the collection centre came during that time into direct contact  with  equidae  of  lower  health
       status than the donor stallions.

      The tests required in paragraph 13.3.6. have been carried out on samples taken on ....................(2)  and  on  ....................(2)
       at least 14 days after the commencement of the above residence period and at least at the beginning of the breeding season;

13.3.7.2.   the donor stallion was not continuously resident in the collection centre or other equidae in the collection centre came into  direct
       contact with equidae of lower health status than the donor stallions.

      The tests required in paragraph 13.3.6. have been carried out on samples taken on ....................(2)  and  on  ....................(2)
       within the 14 days period before the first semen collection and at least at the beginning of the breeding season.

      The test required in paragraph 13.3.6.1. was last carried out on a sample of blood taken not more  than  120  days  before  the  semen  was
       collected on ....................(2).

      The test required in paragraph 13.3.6.2. either  was  last  carried  out  not  more  than  30  days  before  the  semen  was  collected  on
       ....................(2) (1)

      or

      the non-shedder state of the seropositive stallion for equine viral arteritis was confirmed by a virus isolation  test  which  was  carried
       out not more than one year before the semen was collected on ....................(2) (1);

13.3.7.3.   The tests required in paragraph 13.3.6. have been carried out during the 30 days mandatory storage period of  frozen  semen  and  not
       less than 14 days after the collection of the semen on samples taken on ....................(2) and on ....................(2);

13.4. The semen described above was collected, processed, stored and transported under conditions which comply with the requirements of  Chapters
       II and III of Annex D of Directive 92/65/EEC.

Done at .................................., on ..................................

                                                                                                         (Signature of the official veterinarian)

Stamp (4)

                                                                                                        (Name and qualification in block letters)

_______________

(1)   Delete as appropriate.

(2)   Insert date.

(3)   Cross out the programmes that do not apply to the consignment.

(4)   The signature and the stamp must be in colour different to that of the printing.

è1 (5)      The agargel-immunodiffusion test (Coggins test) for equine infectious anaemia is not required for donor equidae  which  have  resided
       in Iceland from birth and it is certified that Iceland is officially free of equine infectious anaemia. ç

                                                                     ________

                                            é

                                                                     ANNEX II

                                                       Repealed Decision and its amendment

|Commission Decision 96/539/EC                                       |                                                                    |
|(OJ L 230, 11.9.1996, p. 23)                                        |                                                                    |
|Commission Decision 2000/284/EC                                            |Only as regards, on the one hand, Article 2(1) and, on  |
|(OJ L 94, 14.4.2000, p. 35)                                                |the other hand, the reference made in Article 2(3) to   |
|                                                                           |Article 2(1)                                            |

                                                                     ________

                                                                    ANNEX III

                                                                Correlation Table

|Decision 96/539/EC                                                  |This Decision                                                       |
|Article 1                                                           |Article 1                                                           |
|Article 2                                                           |________                                                            |
|________                                                            |Article 2                                                           |
|Article 3                                                           |Article 3                                                           |
|Annex                                                               |Annex I                                                             |
|________                                                            |Annex II                                                            |
|________                                                            |Annex III                                                           |

                                                                     ________

                                                             -----------------------
[1]   OJ L 268, 14.9.1992, p. 54. Ö Directive as last amended by Directive 2004/68/EC (OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 320). Õ
[2]   OJ L 230, 11.9.1996, p. 23. Decision as amended by Decision 2000/284/EC (OJ L 94, 14.4.2000, p. 35).
[3]   See Annex II.
[4]   OJ L 73, 11.3.2004, p. 1.