23.7.2004   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 249/20

(1)

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis is the description of the most prominent clinical signs of the infection with the bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV1). As many infections with that virus run a subclinical course, control measures should be directed to the eradication of the infection rather than to the suppression of symptoms.

(2)

Annex E (II) to Directive 64/432/EEC lists ‘infectious bovine rhinotracheitis’ among the diseases for which national control programmes may be approved and additional guarantees requested.

(3)

Germany had submitted a programme conducted with the aim of eradicating the BHV1 infection in all parts of its territory, which complies with the criteria set out in Article 9(1) of Directive 64/432/EEC and provides for rules for the national movement of bovine animals which are equivalent to those previously implemented in Austria, the Province of Bolzano in Italy and Sweden which were successful in eradicating the disease from those countries.

(4)

The programme presented by Germany and, as requested by that Member State, the additional guarantees in relation to trade in bovine animals in order to secure the success of that programme were approved by Decision 2004/215/EC of 1 March 2004 implementing Council Directive 64/432/EEC as regards additional guarantees for intra-Community trade in bovine animals relating to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and the approval of the eradication programmes presented by certain Member States (2).

(5)

Additional guarantees exist as regards Denmark, Austria, Finland and Sweden as well as Italy, concerning the province of Bolzano. Those Member States consider that their territory is free from infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and Italy takes the same view for the Province of Bolzano. In accordance with Article 10(1) of Directive 64/432/EEC, they submitted supporting documentation to the Commission, in particular substantiating that monitoring of the situation is continued.

(6)

To Member States or regions thereof that are recognised as being free of that disease and which are currently listed in the Annex to Commission Decision 93/42/EEC (3) only minimum requirements for the dispatch of bovine animals for breeding and production to other Member States should apply.

(7)

For the standardisation of BHV1 tests in laboratories the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has adopted a strong positive, a weak positive and negative serum as OIE international standards for BHV1 tests which are available at the OIE Reference Laboratories for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis mentioned in the Manual of Standards for Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines (4).

(8)

Problems have been encountered in relation to intra-Community trade in bovine animals originating in Member States of different status with regard to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis.

(9)

For reasons of clarity and in order to ensure the linguistic consistency of the measures, it is appropriate to combine in a single Decision the approval of the German programme and the additional guarantees for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and to repeal Decision 2004/215/EC.

(10)

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

(a)

they must come from a holding on which, according to official information, no clinical or pathological evidence of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis has been recorded for the past 12 months;

(b)

they must have been isolated in a facility approved by the competent authority for 30 days immediately prior to movement and all bovine animals in the same isolation facility must have remained free of clinical signs of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis during that period;

(c)

they and all other bovine animals in the same isolation facility must have been subjected with negative results to a serological test carried out on blood samples, taken not earlier than 21 days after their arrival at the isolation facility, for the detection of the following antibodies:

(a)

the animals originate in a Member State listed in Annex I and come from BHV1-free holdings meeting at least the requirements set down in Annex III;

(b)

the animals are intended for meat production and comply with the following conditions:

(c)

the animals originate from holdings on which all bovine animals on the holding older than 15 months of age have been vaccinated and regularly revaccinated and all animals on the holding older than nine months have been subjected with negative result to a serological test for antibodies against the gE-glycoprotein of the BHV1 at intervals of not more than 12 months and the animals have been tested with negative results for antibodies as referred to in paragraph 1(c)(i) on blood samples taken during the past 14 days prior to dispatch;

(d)

the animals originate from BHV1-free holdings as defined in Annex III which are situated in a Member State in which infectious bovine rhinotracheitis is a compulsorily notifiable disease and in which within an area of 5 km radius around the holdings there was no clinical or pathological evidence of BHV1-infection during the past 30 days and the animals have been tested with negative results for antibodies as referred to in paragraph 1(c) on a sample of blood taken during the past 14 days prior to dispatch.

(a)

after the first indent: ‘IBR’;

(b)

after the second indent: ‘Article 2, paragraph …. point …. of Commission Decision 2004/558/EC’.

(a)

they shall comply with the additional guarantees provided for in Article 2(1)(a) and (b);

(b)

they and all other bovine animals in the same isolation facility referred to in Article 2(1)(b) must have been subjected with negative results to a serological test carried out on blood samples taken not earlier than 21 days after their arrival at the isolation facility, for the detection of antibodies against the entire BHV1;

(c)

they must not have been vaccinated against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis.

(a)

after the first indent: ‘IBR’,

(b)

after the second indent: ‘Article 3 of Commission Decision 2004/558/EC’.