(1)

Sheep pox and goat pox is an infectious viral 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. In the event of an outbreak of sheep pox and goat pox in caprine or ovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments of caprine or ovine animals.

(2)

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 sheep pox and goat pox, 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 zone around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.

(3)

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2415 (4) was adopted within the framework of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and it lays down certain emergency measures relating to infection with sheep pox and goat pox in Romania. More particularly, Article 1 of Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2415 provides that the restricted zone, comprising protection and surveillance zones, to be established by Romania, in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, is to comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to that Implementing Decision, and the measures required to be applied in the protection and surveillance zones, are to be applied at least until the dates listed in that Annex.

(4)

Since the day of adoption of Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2415, Romania has notified the Commission of two additional outbreaks of sheep pox and goat pox in establishments where ovine and caprine animals are kept located in the county of Teleorman outside the protection and surveillance zones already listed in the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2415.

(5)

Therefore, the restricted zone, comprising protection and surveillance zones in Romania, set out in the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2415 should be adjusted, both spatially and temporally in order to prevent the further spread of the disease in the territory of Romania or to the rest of the Union. In addition, in light of these considerations, when applied to the current epidemiological situation concerning sheep pox and goat pox in Romania, it is necessary to establish a further restricted zone in the counties of Teleorman, Olt and Dolj because they are currently the counties at higher level of risk of spread, to prevent further spread of the disease.

(6)

The size of the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones, and the duration of the measures to be applied therein, are based on the criteria set out in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, including the epidemiological situation as regards sheep pox and goat pox in the areas affected by that disease and the overall epidemiological situation of sheep pox and goat pox in the Member State concerned by that disease, as well as the level of risk for the further spread of the disease, and are in accordance with the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687. The duration of the measures also takes into account the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (5).

(7)

In addition, in the current epidemiological situation, there is a high risk of further spread of sheep pox and goat pox, within Romania and to the rest of the Union, in particular due to the fact that, according to the information provided by Romania, this is a recurrence of that disease in an area already affected before, with very little information about the origin of the outbreak and the possible spread in between the outbreaks, which indicates that the disease may have already circulated in other areas of Romania, undetected and without any restrictive measures in place to prevent or slow down its spread.

(8)

Therefore, it is necessary to adopt additional emergency measures in order to mitigate the risk of the further spread of the disease within the territory of Romania and to other Member States, as well as to avoid any unjustified barriers to trade. To this end, it is necessary to ensure that movements of ovine and caprine animals from the protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones, established in the territory of Romania, to destinations outside the external perimeters of the further restricted zone are prohibited, until 23 December 2025.

(9)

In view of the epidemiological situation, it also necessary to identify the areas in the territory of Romania where further measures like those applicable to further restricted zones, as provided for in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, should apply, and where movements of ovine and caprine animals outside the external perimeters of those areas are prohibited, from 24 December 2025 until 31 January 2026.

(10)

Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of sheep pox and goat pox, and the need to prevent the disease from further spreading from the affected establishments in Romania to other parts of that Member State or to any other Member States, the emergency measures laid down in this Implementing Decision should apply as soon as possible.

(11)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

(1)

Articles 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

(2)

the following Article 2a is inserted:

(3)

the Annex is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Decision.