(1)

African swine fever is an infectious viral disease affecting kept and wild porcine 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 outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other wild porcine animals and to establishments of kept porcine 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 63 to 66 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 provide for certain measures to be taken in the event of an official confirmation of an outbreak of a category A disease in wild animals, including African swine fever in wild porcine animals. Notably, those provisions provide for the establishment of an infected zone and prohibitions on movements of wild animals of listed species and products of animal origin thereof.

(4)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 (4) lays down special disease control measures regarding African swine fever. In particular, in the event of an outbreak of that disease in wild porcine animals in an area of a Member State, Article 3, point (b), of that Implementing Regulation provides for the establishment of an infected zone in accordance with Article 63 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687. In addition, Article 6 of that Implementing Regulation provides that that area is to be listed as a restricted zone II in Part II of Annex I thereto and that the infected zone, established in accordance with Article 63 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, is to be adjusted without delay to comprise at least the restricted zone II. The special control measures for African swine fever laid down in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 include, inter alia, prohibitions on movements of consignments of porcine animals kept in restricted zones II and products thereof outside those restricted zones.

(5)

Croatia has informed the Commission of the confirmation of one outbreak of African swine fever in a wild porcine animal in the Karlovacka Region on 13 July 2023. Accordingly, the competent authority of that Member State established an infected zone in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594.

(6)

In order to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade by third countries, it is necessary to identify at Union level the infected zone for African swine fever in Croatia in collaboration with that Member State.

(7)

In order to prevent the further spread of African swine fever, pending the listing of the area of Croatia affected by the recent outbreaks in wild porcine animals as a restricted zone II in Part II of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, the special control measures for African swine fever laid down therein, that apply to movements of consignments of porcine animals kept in restricted zones II and products thereof outside those zones, should also apply to movements of those consignments from the infected zone established by Croatia following that recent outbreak, in addition to the measures laid down in Articles 63 to 66 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687.

(8)

Accordingly, that infected zone should be listed in the Annex to this Decision and it should be subject to the special control measures for African swine fever that apply to restricted zones II laid down in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594. However, due to this new epidemiological situation of African swine fever and taking account of the increased immediate risk of the further spread of the disease, movements of consignments of kept porcine animals and products thereof to other Member States and to third countries should not be authorised from the infected zone in accordance with that Implementing Regulation. The duration of that zoning should be also laid down in this Decision.

(9)

Therefore, in order to mitigate the risks arising from the recent outbreak of African swine fever in wild porcine animals in Croatia, this Decision should provide that the movements to other Member States and third countries of consignments of porcine animals kept in the infected zone and products thereof should not be authorised by Croatia until the expiry date of this Decision.

(10)

Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of African swine fever, it is important that the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision apply as soon as possible.

(11)

Accordingly, pending the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, the infected zone in Croatia should be established immediately and listed in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that zoning fixed.

(12)

This Decision is to be reviewed at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,