CELEX: 51988PC0836
Language: en
Date: 1988-12-21
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL REGULATION INSTITUTING A CERTIFICATE FOR DOGS AND CATS ON VISITS OF LESS THAN 1 YEAR IN THE MEMBER STATES AND INTRODUCING COMMUNITY MEASURES TO SET UP PILOT PROJECTS FOR THE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF RABIES

No C 85/8                               Official Journal of the European Communities                                 6. 4. 89
                                                   COMMISSION
              Proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) instituting a certificate for dogs and cats on visits of
              less than one year in the Member States and introducing Community measures to set up pilot
                                       projects for the control and eradication of rabies
                                                       COM(88) 836 final
                                       (Submitted by the Commission on 5 January 1989)
                                                          (89/C 85/11)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                           Whereas the continued presence of rabies in certain
                                                                   areas of the Community presents obstacles to the
                                                                   freedom of movement of companion animals and other
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European              agricultural species, owing to quarantine restrictions in
Economic Community, and in particular Article 43                   some Member States; whereas it would be premature to
thereof,                                                           require the dismantlement of quarantine restrictions
                                                                   owing to the risk of spread of rabies;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                 Whereas rabies is a serious source of loss and disruption
                                                                   to the agricultural Community;
                                                                   Whereas the continued presence of rabies has an impact
Having regard       to   the   opinion    of   the  European
                                                                   on the environment in so far as it inhibits a closer asso-
Parliament,
                                                                   ciation of man and animals and also constitutes a costly
                                                                   danger for human and animal health;
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and                   Wheres it is therefore necessary to stimulate the creation
Social Committee,                                                  of large-scale pilot projects for the control and eradi-
                                                                   cation of rabies and to that end to provide for
                                                                   Community financial aid;
Whereas the certificate which accompanies dogs and cats
on short stay visits from one Member State to another              Whereas it is necessary for facilities to be provided for
has not heretofore been harmonized and whereas this                the planning and the examination of the results of such
situation increases the risk of the spread of rabies in the        pilot projects, particularly in cross-border areas and
animal population;                                                 whereas it is also necessary to establish a Community
                                                                   procedure between the Commission and Member States
                                                                   for the implementation of such plans for pilot projects;
Whereas it is necessary, as a preliminary step to                  whereas it is necessary that a small grant be made to
completion of the internal market, to harmonize this               national hunters organizations for preservation and
certificate whose validity shall be applicable for just over       conservation work in those Member states where hunters
three years, thus contributing to the free movement of             have given, free of charge, their time for bait dispersion;
dogs and cats, reducing the risk of the spread of rabies
not only amongst dogs and cats but to other agricultural           Whereas the Commission will submit to the Council a
species as well and giving a wider choice of destination           report on the results achieved;
to their accompanying owners;
                                                                   Whereas it is necessary to make provisions in the
                                                                   certificate for other treatments such as for echino-
Whereas it would be unreasonable to require certain                coccosis that may be required prior to entry into
Member States to withdraw their quarantine provisions              particular Member States,
in respect of rabies at this stage in the light of their
freedom from this disease and its widespread dissemi-              HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
nation in certain other Member States;
                                                                                          CHAPTER I
Whereas it will be necessary to review the           measures                               Article 1
applicable in this sector so that they apply to      not only
short stay visits but also to transit and trade in  dogs and       Dogs and cats which are on visits of less than one year
cats, particularly in the light of the measures     necessary      to a Member State other than those which apply quar-
for the completion of the internal market;                         antine must be accompanied by a certificate conforming
 ---pagebreak--- 6. 4. 89                              Official Journal of the European Communities                              No C 85/9
to the specimen in Annex I, which shall be drawn up in                                    Article 8
at least the language of the originating Member State.
                                                                 1.   The pilot projects shall take into account natural
                                                                and administrative boundaries, the prevalence of rabies
                                                                as well as the epidemiological situation. The pilot
                         Article 2                              projects will cater for at least two and possibly three
                                                                vaccination campaigns in any one pilot project zone. The
Before 31 December 1990 the Commission shall submit             vaccination campaigns may be carried out twice a year in
to the Council proposals concerning the definitive              the spring and autumn or annually in the spring or
arrangements for the completion of the internal market          autumn. Vaccination may be carried out annually in
in respect of dogs and cats.                                    protective belts, adjacent to borders to avoid reinfection.
The Council shall take a decision on these proposals            The choice of vaccine and baits to be used shall be laid
before 1 July 1991.                                             down according to the procedure set out in Article 18.
                                                                2.    Baits are to be dispersed at approximately 15 per
                         Article 3                              km2 or less according to altitude. They are to be
Member States shall admit onto their territory dogs and         dispersed evenly with gloved hands in predetermined
cats which are accompanied by the certificate as in             positions indicated on a grid map (scale 1 : 25 000); they
Annex I, without prejudice to additional requirements           must be invisible for humans and animals and protected
which may be necessary in relation to quarantine for            from direct sunlight by a covering of leaves or grass.
rabies in some Member States.                                   Other methods of distribution may be adopted.
                                                                                          Article 9
                       CHAPTER II
                                                                The plan referred to in Article 6 must indicate the
                                                                following:
                         Article 4
                                                                — the bodies in charge of the technical organization,
A Community measure is hereby established to create
large-scale pilot projects for the eradication of rabies
from the wild life of the Community using vaccines for          — a description of the area,
the oral immunization of foxes.
                                                                — arrangements for dissemination of information to
                                                                    concerned persons such as medical and veterinary
                                                                    practitioners, various ministries, hunting associations,
                       CHAPTER III
                                                                    schools in the pilot project area, police and mayors
Technical provisions relating to the creation of pilot              etc.,
              projects for rabies eradication
                                                                — arrangements for dispatching wild and domestic
                                                                    animals that are suspected of suffering from rabies to
                         Article 5                                  a central diagnostic laboratory,
Rabies shall be a compulsorily notifiable disease in all
species.-                                                       — arrangements for sending foxes killed during
                                                                    hunting, in the post vaccinal period, for testing for
                                                                    tetracycline incorporation and antibody formation,
                         Article 6
                                                                — arrangements for trapping small mammals in the
For the purpose of this Regulation, Member States                   zone during the first month following vaccination in
which are infected with rabies shall draw up plans to               order to be examined for rabies virus.
create large-scale pilot projects for the oral immuni-
zation of foxes.
                                                                                         Article 10
                                                                Community financial aid shall be available for small scale
                         Article 7
                                                                conservation and preservation actions carried out in pilot
The minimum area for a pilot project shall be 6 000 km2         project areas where hunters have been used for bait
or the total national area of the State infected with           dispersion. The plans for such actions shall be submitted
rabies. Priority shall be given to plans which involve          to the Commission by the Federation of Hunting Associ-
cross-border cooperation.                                       ations of the EEC.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 85/10                            Official Journal of the European Communities                                   6. 4. 89
                         Article 11                                                        Article 15
The Commission,, after examination of the proposed               1.    Community financial aid shall be available for the
conservation     and preservation actions and          any      following:
amendments thereto, shall approve them in accordance
with the procedure laid down in Article 18.                     — the purchase of anti-rabies oral vaccine plus bait for
                                                                     use in foxes,
                        CHAPTER IV                              — the funding of small scale preservation and conser-
            Common and Financial provisions                          vation actions carried out in regions where hunters
                                                                     have been used for dispersing bait free of charge.
                         Article 12
                                                                2.     The Community shall reimburse to the Member
1.    Member States shall forward to the Commission             States:
the pilot projects provided for in Article 6 and the infor-
mation required under Articles 8 and 9 and Annex II,            — ECU 0,5 for each vaccine plus bait dispersed within a
prior to their implementation, not later than six months             pilot project area in the context of the measures
after the entry into effect of this Regulation, and                  provided for by this Regulation and complying with
annually thereafter. The pilot projects provided for in              the special technical provisions referred to in Chapter
Article 6 shall be forwarded annually to the Commission              HI,
by Member States and prior to their implementation in
the case of Member States which have not yet drawn up           — expenditure incurred in carrying out small-scale
pilot projects.                                                      conservation and preservation actions in pilot project
                                                                     areas where hunters have been used for dispersing
2.    The Commission shall examine the pilot projects                bait free of charge up to a maximum of ECU 10 000
forwarded in accordance with paragraph 1 for the                     per pilot project area per year, for a maximum period
purpose of determining whether, in terms of conformity               of three years.
with this Regulation and having regard to the objectives
thereof, the conditions for financial contribution by the        3.    Articles 8 and 9 of Regulation (EEC) No 729/70 of
Community are met. Within four months following the             the Council (') shall apply mutatis mutandis.
receipt of any pilot projects the Commission shall, after
examination of the proposed pilot projects and any
                                                                 4.    Detailed rules for the implemetation of this Article
amendments thereto, approve them in accordance with
                                                                 shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure set
the procedure laid down in Article 18.
                                                                 out in Article 18.
3.    Provisions will be made for coordinating Member
States' pilot projects.                                                                    Article 16
                                                                The Commission shall make regular on-the-spot checks
4.    On the dates fixed by the Commission in its                to verify from a veterinary viewpoint whether the plans
decision of approval, as referred to in paragraph 2,             are being applied.
Member States shall bring into force the laws, regu-
lations or administrative provisions required to                 Member States shall take the necessary steps to facilitate
implement the pilot projects for the control and eradi-          these checks and shall in particular ensure that the
cation of rabies.                                                experts are supplied at their request with all information
                                                                 and documentation needed for assessing the execution of
                         Article 13                              the pilot projects.
 1.   Community financial aid shall be given for the            The provisions for implementing this Article, especially
measures provided for in this Regulation.                        as regards the frequency and method of carrying out the
                                                                 checks referred to in the first subparagraph, the rules
2.    Expenditure incurred by the Member States in               governing the appointment of official veterinarians and
connection with measures adopted pursuant to the pilot           the procedure which they must follow when drawing up
projects approved in accordance with Article 18 shall            their repport, shall be laid down according to the
qualify for Community aid within the limits fixed in             procedures laid down in Article 18.
Articles 14 and 15.
                                                                                           Article 17
                         Article 14
                                                                 The Commission shall be assisted by the Standing
 1.   The estimated amount of aid to be charged to the           Veterinary Committee (hereafter 'the Committee') set up
 Community budget for the period laid down in                    by the Council Decision of 15 October 1968.
 paragraph 2 shall be ECU 9,3 Million.
 2.   This measure shall be applicable for three years.          (') OJ No L 94, 28. 4. 1970, p. 13.
 ---pagebreak--- 6. 4. 89                              Official Journal of the European Communities                           No C 85/11
                        Article 18                              to the measures to be taken. The Council adopts the
                                                                 measures by a qualified majority.
1.    The representative of the Commission shall submit
to the Committee a draft of the measures to be adopted.          If, after a period of three months after the matter was
The Committee shall deliver its opinion on such                 referred to it, the Council has not acted the Commission
measures within a time limit to be set by the Chairman          shall adopt the proposed measures.
according to the urgency of the questions under
consideration. Opinions shall be delivered by the                                         Article 19
majority specified in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty in the      When the pilot projects have been executed, the
case of decisions to be adopted by the Council following         Commission shall submit a general report to the Council
a proposal from the Commission. Within the Committee            on the results obtained, with a proposal for further
the votes of the Member States shall be weighted as             harmonization of national preventive measures, should
provided for in the said Article 148. The Chairman shall        this be necessary-
not vote.
                                                                                          Article 20
2.    The Commission shall adopt the measures where
they are in accordance with the Committee's opinion.            This Regulation shall enter into force on the 30th day
                                                                following its publication in the Official Journal of the
3.    Where the proposed measures are not in                     European Communities.
accordance with the Committee's opinion or if the
Committee fails to deliver an opinion, the Commission           This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and
shall forthwith submit to the Council a proposal relating        directly applicable to all Member States.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 85/12                                   Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s                        6. 4. 89
                                                                       ANNEX       I
            Rabies vaccination and health certificate for dogs and cats on visits of less than 1 year in the Member
                                                                        States (')
             1. Valid from                                          to                -.                   (2)
            2. Name and address of owner
            3. Description
                Dog/cat
                Breed
                Male/female
                Age
                Colour
                Coat type and marking
                Tatoo No (where present)
            4. Health certification
                I, the undersigned, hereby declare that I have examined the above described animal and it did not show
                any symptoms of contagious diseases and it was clinically healthy on the day of examination (3).
            5. Rabies vaccination                                                               2nd vaccination          3rd vaccination
                Vaccination date
                Type of rabies vaccine
                Manufacturing laboratory
                Batch No
                Expiring date
                                                                                                          Signature of Veterinarian
                                                        Name and address
                                                        (Printed)
                                                        Date
            (') This certificate does not prejudice the requirements for quarantine in some Member States. Dogs and cats will
                continue to be subject to a minimum of six months quarantine on entry into Ireland and the United Kingdom.
            (2) This certificate is valid as follows: for three months for dogs and cats under three months of age; for those over three
                months of age from the 30th day until the end of the 12th month after the date of the first vaccination (second
                injection); in the case of revaccination within the validity period, for 12 months from the date of revaccination.
            (J) Dogs and cats must be treated for tapeworms within 30 days prior to entry into Greece.
 ---pagebreak--- 6. 4. 89                                Official Journal of the European Communities                                          No C 85/13
                                                               ANNEX II
                              Guidelines for a timetable for an oral vaccination campaign of foxes
               Days prior to arid after vaccination                                      Activities
         Immediately                                        general planning
                                                            responsibilities
                                                            budget
         — 100 to — 6 0                                      information to governmental authorities (health, agriculture,
                                                            hunting and forestry, police)
                                                            assignment of duties and functions
                                                            freezer space for storage of baits
                                                            notification of vaccine manufacturing centre on vaccination
                                                            date and number of baits and vaccines required
         — 60 to — 14                                       information to hunters and game wardens: assignment of
                                                            duties
                                                            information to local authorities
         — 30 to — 10                                       transportation of baits to place of storage (—20 °C)
         —7                                                 information to schools
         —4                                                 information to news media
         —1                                                 preparation of baits for distribution
                                                            storage at + 4 °C
         0/00                                               issue of baits and maps to distribution teams
                                                            distribution of baits
         + 1                                                return of maps
         + 4, + 8, + 14                                     control of baits for uptake in special control areas
         + 1 to + 20                                        virological, serological and tetracycline testing
                                                            evaluation of information
                                                            inclusion of experience into future projects
         Note: in cross-border projects above arrangements will have to be coordinated with organizing body in other country.