8.12.2010   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 322/20

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1266/2007 of 26 October 2007 on implementing rules for Council Directive 2000/75/EC as regards the control, monitoring, surveillance and restrictions on movements of certain animals of susceptible species in relation to bluetongue (2) lays down rules for the control, monitoring, surveillance and restrictions on movements of animals, in relation to bluetongue, in and from the restricted zones.

(2)

Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1266/2007 lays down conditions for exemption from the exit ban provided for in Directive 2000/75/EC. Article 8(1) of that Regulation provides that movements of animals, their semen, ova and embryos, from a holding or semen collection or storage centre located in a restricted zone to another holding or semen collection or storage centre are to be exempted from that exit ban provided that they comply with the conditions set out in Annex III to that Regulation or with any other appropriate animal health guarantees based on a positive outcome of a risk assessment of measures against the spread of the bluetongue virus and protection against attacks by vectors, required by the competent authority of the place of origin and approved by the competent authority of the place of destination, prior to the movement of such animals.

(3)

Article 9(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1266/2007 provides that, until 31 December 2010, and by way of derogation from the conditions set out in Annex III to that Regulation, Member States of destination may require that the movement of certain animals which are covered by the exemption, provided for in Article 8(1) thereof, be subjected to additional conditions, on the basis of a risk assessment taking into account the entomological and epidemiological conditions in which animals are being introduced. Those additional conditions specify that the animals must be less than 90 days old, they must have been kept since birth in vector protected confinement and they must have been subject to certain tests referred to in Annex III to that Regulation.

(4)

Fifteen Member States and Norway have notified the Commission that they have applied that transitional measure. The outcomes of the risk assessments that were carried out, which are publicly available on the Commission’s website, show that the introduction of bluetongue in those Member States and in Norway as a result of animal movements from restricted zones could have a major negative impact.

(5)

The overall disease situation as regards bluetongue has improved considerably since 2008. However the virus is still present in parts of the Union.

(6)

For the sake of harmonized implementation, Member States have requested for specific criteria for the ‘vector proof establishment’ which is an important requirement for a number of the conditions set out in Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1266/2007 and aims at the protection of animals against attacks by vectors. Currently, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) is working on a definition of a vector-protected establishment or facility. The outcome of this work shall serve as input for the Commission to define criteria for the vector proof establishment as referred to in Annex III of the Regulation.

(7)

Pending the development of the criteria for a vector proof establishment, the period of application of the transitional measures provided for in Article 9(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1266/2007 should be prolonged for another six months.

(8)

Regulation (EC) No 1266/2007 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(9)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,