(1)

Regulation (EU) 2016/429 lays down disease-specific rules for the diseases listed in accordance with Article 5(1) thereof, and it specifies how those rules are to be applied to different categories of listed diseases. Regulation (EU) 2016/429 also provides for the approval or withdrawal by the Commission of the disease-free status of Member States or zones or compartments thereof regarding certain listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), thereof. In addition, Regulation (EU) 2016/429 provides for Member States to establish compulsory eradication programmes for the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), point (b), thereof, and for optional eradication programmes for the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), point (c), thereof, and for the approval of such programmes by the Commission.

(2)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 (2) supplements Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and it lays down the criteria for granting, maintaining, suspending, and withdrawing the disease-free status of Member States or zones or compartments thereof, and the requirements for the approval of eradication programmes of Member States or zones or compartments thereof.

(3)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 (3) lays down implementing rules for the listed diseases, referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, of animals, as regards the disease-free and non-vaccination status of certain Member States or zones or compartments thereof, and the approval of eradication programmes for those listed diseases. More particularly, it lists in the Annexes thereto, the Member States or zones or compartments thereof with approved disease-free status, and with existing approved compulsory or optional eradication programmes. Due to the changing epidemiological situation in the Union of certain listed diseases, Annexes I and VIII to that Implementing Regulation should be amended.

(4)

Firstly, for infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in kept ovine and caprine animals, Italy has notified the Commission of a primary outbreak on 11 December 2023 in the province of Alessandria in the Region of Piemonte, followed by two secondary outbreaks in the same province notified on 8 January 2024 and 1 August 2024. As the whole Region of Piemonte has disease-free status and is listed in Chapter 2 of Part I of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, the approval of the disease-free status from infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in kept ovine and caprine animals should be withdrawn from the province of Alessandria in the Region of Piemonte and the entry for Italy in that list should be amended accordingly.

(5)

Secondly, as regards infection with bluetongue virus (serotypes 1-24) (infection with BTV), Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, and Sweden have notified the Commission of outbreaks of infection with BTV serotype 3. The outbreaks in Germany were notified in the zone that still has disease-free status as regards that disease. In addition, Austria has notified the Commission of one outbreak of infection with BTV serotype 4. Also, Italy and Spain have notified the Commission of outbreaks of infection with BTV serotype 8. Italy in the region of Valle d’Aosta, and Spain in the autonomous community of Catalonia near to the province of Huesca in the autonomous community of Aragon, and in the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. As the whole territory of Czechia, Luxembourg and Denmark, Germany (except for Bundesland Bremen, Hessen, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz), and the whole territory of Austria and Sweden, the region of Valle d’Aosta in Italy, and the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, and the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain have disease-free status, and are listed in Part I of Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, the approval of the disease-free status from infection with BTV should be withdrawn from the whole territory of Denmark, Luxembourg, Germany as earlier described, Austria, Sweden, several regions of Czechia, the region of Valle d’Aosta in Italy, as well as from the autonomous community of Balearic Islands and from the province of Huesca in the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain. Therefore, the entries for Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria and Sweden in that list should be amended accordingly.

(6)

In addition, Spain has informed the Commission that it has extended the territorial scope of the optional eradication programme for infection with BTV that has already been approved for the zones listed in Part II of Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, with the addition of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands and a zone comprising the province of Huesca in the autonomous community of Aragon. Therefore, those areas should be added to the entry for Spain in Part II of Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, and the proposed amendment to the optional eradication programme for infection with BTV approved.

(7)

Annexes I and VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 should, therefore, be amended accordingly.

(8)

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