(1)

Sheep pox and goat pox is an infectious viral diseases 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.

(2)

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.

(3)

Commission Delegated Regulation 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. 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 zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.

(4)

In order to address outbreaks of sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria notified in September, October and November of 2024, the Commission adopted Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2918 (4), which lays down certain emergency measures relating to that disease in Bulgaria. More particularly, it provides that the protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones to be established by that Member State, in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, are to comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to that Implementing Decision.

(5)

Since the last amendment of Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2918, Bulgaria has notified the Commission of one new outbreak of sheep pox and goat pox in an establishment where ovine and caprine animals were kept, in the region of Slivenin an already established restricted zone for this disease.

(6)

Therefore, the areas listed as protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones for Bulgaria in the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2918, as well as the duration of the measures applicable therein, should be adjusted in order to prevent the further spread of the disease in Bulgaria and to the rest of the Union Accordingly, it is necessary to amend the list of restricted zones and the duration of the measures to be applied therein set out in that the Annex to that Implementing Decision.

(7)

The size of the protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones, and the duration of the measures to apply therein, are based on the criteria set out in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, as well as of the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687. The criteria applied for the choice of the size of the protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones, as well as of the duration of the measures to apply therein, include a consideration of not only the epidemiological situation as regards sheep pox and goat pox in the areas affected by that disease, but also of the overall epidemiological situation of sheep pox and goat pox in the entire territory of the Member State concerned by that disease as well as the level of risk for the further spread of the disease within and beyond the territory of that Member State. The chosen duration of the measures has also taken into account the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) into account. In the current epidemiological situation, there is a high risk of further spread of the disease as the new outbreak of sheep pox and goat pox has occurred close to the previous ones in the same region of Sliven, indicating that the disease continues to persist and circulate in the affected area.

(8)

Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2918 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(9)

Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of sheep pox and goat pox, it is important that the amendments to be made to Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2918 by this Decision take effect as soon as possible.

(10)

Taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards sheep pox and goat pox, the period of application of Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/2918 should be prolonged until 31 May 2025.

(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.

in Article 4, the date ‘31 March 2025’ is replaced by ‘31 May 2025’;

2.

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