(1)

Infection with lumpy skin disease virus is an infectious, vector-borne disease affecting bovine animals. Its occurrence can have a severe impact on the concerned animal population and on the profitability of farming, also 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 infection lumpy skin disease virus in bovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments of bovine animals particularly due its mode of transmission through vectors.

(3)

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 infection with lumpy skin disease virus, 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 at least a protection zone, a surveillance zone, and, if necessary, further restricted zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.

(4)

Spain has informed the Commission of the current situation, in its territory, as regards the infection of bovine animals with the lumpy skin disease virus. This information notably includes two outbreaks of that disease in kept bovine animals in the municipalities of Castelló d’Empuries and Peralada, in the Alt d’Ampordà region of the province of Girona, which were confirmed on 3 and 4 October 2025. Following these outbreaks, Spain has established a restricted zone, which comprises protection and surveillance zones, where the disease control measures foreseen in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 are applied.

(5)

In order to control the spread of infection with lumpy skin disease virus, as well as to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade by third countries, it is necessary to rapidly determine, at Union level, the restricted zone for infection with lumpy skin disease virus in Spain.

(6)

The size of the protection and surveillance zones, and the duration of the measures to be applied therein, are based on the criteria laid down in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, as well as on the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687. The criteria applied for the choice of the size of the protection and surveillance zones, as well as of the duration of the measures to be applied therein, include a consideration of not only the epidemiological situation as regards infection with lumpy skin disease virus in the areas affected by that disease, but also of other epidemiological factors, including geographical parameters and the risk for the further spread of the disease. The chosen duration of the measures foreseen in this Decision has also taken into account the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (4).

(7)

The areas identified as protection and surveillance zones in Spain should therefore be set out in the Annex to this Decision, and the duration of that regionalisation should be established in Union law. In addition, considering the fact that infection with lumpy skin disease virus can spread through sub-clinically infected bovine animals, it is necessary to prohibit the movements of bovine animals from any location in the protection and surveillance zones to a destination located outside the external perimeter of these zones.

(8)

Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of infection with lumpy skin disease virus, and especially the recent introduction of this disease in Italy and France in July and its confirmation in Spain, and the need to prevent the disease from spreading from the affected establishment in Spain to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States, the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision should apply as soon as possible.

(9)

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

(10)

Taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards infection with lumpy skin disease virus, this Decision should apply until 26 November 2025.

(11)

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

(a)

a restricted zone, which comprises protection and surveillance zones, is established by the competent authorities of that Member State in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and under the conditions laid down in that Article;

(b)

the protection and surveillance zones referred to in point (a) comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to this Decision;

(c)

the measures required to be applied in the protection and surveillance zones are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision.