88/212/EEC: Commission Decision of 9 March 1988 on health protection measures concerning blue tongue in respect of Canada

COMMISSION  DECISION
of 9 March 1988
on health protection measures concerning blue tongue in respect of Canada
(88/212/EEC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 72/462/EEC of 12 December 1972 on health and veterinary inspection problems upon importation of bovine animals and swine and fresh meat from third countries (1), as last amended by Directive 87/64/EEC (2), and in particular Article 7 thereof,
Whereas Commission Decision 83/494/EEC (3) provides that Member States shall authorize the importation of bovine animals from Canada under certain conditions;
Whereas, however, it is laid down in Article 6 of Directive 72/462/EEC that Member States shall not authorize the importation of bovine animals unless they come from third countries which have been free, for the previous 12 months, in particular in respect of blue tongue;
Whereas Article 7 of Directive 72/462/EEC provides that prohibitions laid down by Article 6 of the said Directive can be limited to a part of the territory of the third country;
Whereas it has been noted that blue tongue has occurred in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia, Canada; whereas this region has particular geographical and climatic characteristics which confine this disease to an area within the region;
Whereas it has been established by means of official serological surveys for many years that the disease has been confined to the Okanagan Valley region;
Whereas the remainder of Canada may be considered to be free of blue tongue;
Whereas the veterinary authorities of Canada have given satisfactory assurances that bovine animals which have at any time been in the infected region will not be exported to the Community;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary Committee,