Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1332 of 17 May 2024 amending certain Annexes to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 as regards the approval or withdrawal of the disease-free status of certain Member States or zones or compartments thereof as regards certain listed diseases and the approval of eradication programmes for certain listed diseases (Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’)⁽¹⁾, and in particular Articles 31(4), second subparagraph, 36(4) and 42(4) thereof,

Whereas:

1. Regulation (EU) 2016/429 lays down disease-specific rules for the diseases listed in accordance with Article 5(1) thereof, and how those rules are to be applied to different categories of listed diseases. That Regulation provides for the 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. 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 (b) and (c), thereof.

2. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689⁽²⁾ supplements Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and lays down the criteria for granting, maintaining, suspending, and withdrawing disease-free status for Member States or zones or compartments thereof, and the requirements for the approval of compulsory or optional eradication programmes for 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 it also lists the existing approved compulsory or optional eradication programmes. The changing epidemiological situation of certain diseases requires the amendment of certain Annexes to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 to approve the disease-free status of certain Member States or zones thereof and withdraw approval for certain zones of Member States where disease outbreaks have been confirmed or where the conditions for maintaining the disease-free status are no longer met, and to approve certain compulsory or optional eradication programmes submitted to the Commission.

4. For infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis, bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), infection with bluetongue virus (serotypes 1-24) (BTV), viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) and infectious haemopoietic necrosis (IHN), several Member States have recently applied to the Commission to have disease-free status or amendments to eradication programmes approved for certain zones of their territory. A Member State has also notified outbreaks of infection with BTV which also needs to be reflected in the relevant Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620.

5. For infection with Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in bovine animals, Italy has submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for the recognition of disease-free status laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 are fulfilled in the province of Agrigento in the region of Sicilia. Following the assessment by the Commission, the application has been shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4, of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the approval of disease-free status. Therefore, that province should be listed as free from Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis in bovine animals in Part I, Chapter 1, of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620.

6. For BVD, Germany has submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for approval of disease-free status from BVD laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 are fulfilled for the regions of Göttingen, Northeim and Stade in the state of Lower Saxony and the region of Kleve in the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. Following the assessment by the Commission, these applications have been shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4, of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the granting of disease-free status from BVD. Therefore, those zones should be listed in Part I of Annex VII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, as having disease-free status from BVD.

7. As regards infection with BTV, Spain has notified to the Commission of an outbreak of infection with BTV serotype 4 in the province of Alicante in the autonomous community of Valencia. As this province has a disease-free status and is 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, and the entry for Spain in that list should be amended accordingly.

8. Spain has also informed the Commission that it has extended the territorial scope of the optional eradication programme for infection with BTV already approved for the zone listed in Part II of Annex VIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620 with the addition of a zone comprising the province of Alicante in the autonomous community of Valencia. Therefore, that area 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 eradication programme for infection with BTV approved.

9. For VHS, Denmark and Estonia have submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for recognition of disease-free status from VHS laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 are fulfilled for the whole of their respective territory. Following the assessment by the Commission, those applications have shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4, of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the granting of disease-free status from VHS. Therefore, the whole territory of those Member States should be listed in Part I of Annex XII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, as having disease-free status from VHS.

10. For IHN, Estonia and Finland have submitted to the Commission information demonstrating that the conditions for the approval of disease-free status from IHN laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 are fulfilled for the whole of the territory and for a compartment respectively. Following the assessment by the Commission, that application has been shown to comply with the criteria laid down in Part II, Chapter 4, of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 for the granting of disease-free status from IHN. Therefore, the whole territory of Estonia and one compartment in Finland should be listed in Part I of Annex XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, as having disease-free status from IHN.

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: