2024/2119

30.7.2024

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2024/2119

of 29 July 2024

concerning certain emergency measures relating to infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in Romania

(notified under document C(2024) 5582)

(Only the Romanian text is authentic)

(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 Article 259(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Infection with peste des petits ruminants virus is an infectious disease affecting caprine and ovine 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 an outbreak of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in caprine or ovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments of caprine or ovine animals.

(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 peste des petits ruminants 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 a protection zone, a surveillance zone, and, if necessary, further restricted zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.

(4) Romania has informed the Commission of the current situation in its territory as regards infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, following an outbreak of that disease in kept ovine animals in the Baia locality, Tulcea county, which was confirmed on 19 July 2024, and, in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, it has established a restricted zone, which comprises a protection zone and a surveillance zone, where the disease control measures laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 are applied. Subsequently, Romania informed the Commission of five additional outbreaks of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, three confirmed on 22 July 2024, and another two confirmed on 23 July. Two of those additional outbreaks were located inside the protection zone already established by that Member State around the first outbreak, while the other three were located outside the restricted zone around the first outbreak. In addition, the last outbreak was located in Contanta county.

(5) In order to control the spread of the disease, 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 identify at Union level the restricted zone for infection with peste des petits ruminants virus, which comprises a protection zone, a surveillance zone, as well as a further restricted zone, in Romania.

(6) The size of the zones and duration of the measures to apply in the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones should be based on the criteria set out in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, including the epidemiological situation as regards infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in the areas affected by that disease and the overall epidemiological situation of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in the Member State concerned as well as the level of risk for the further spread of that disease. The duration of the measures should also take into account the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). In the current situation, there is very high risk of further spread of the disease, in particular due to the fact that, according to the information provided by the competent authority, the first affected establishment is keeping more than fifty thousand sheep and specializes in purchasing fattening sheep, destined for export or intra-Union trade, while the subsequently affected establishments keep more than forty six thousand animals in total. In addition, the disease has spread within a few days as far as 15 kilometres from the first outbreak and the epidemiological information available suggest that the disease has been present in the area for a period of time before being diagnosed.

(7) Accordingly, the areas identified as protection, surveillance and further restricted zones in Romania should be set out in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that regionalisation fixed.

(8) Due to the severity and urgency of the situation and in order to immediately limit the spread of the disease after this first occurrence in that Member State, it is necessary to ensure that animal movements from the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones to destinations outside the external perimeter of the further restricted zone do not take place, and to exclude possible derogations from the prohibition to move animals as foreseen in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, for a certain period of time, in order to prevent long distance spread of the disease.

(9) Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus and the need to prevent the disease from spreading from the affected establishments in Romania 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.

(10) Accordingly, the areas identified as protection, surveillance and further restricted zones in Romania should be established immediately and listed in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that regionalisation fixed and animal movements should be restricted.

(11) In addition, taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards peste des petits ruminants virus, this Decision should apply until 30 November 2024.

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

This Decision establishes at Union level:

(a) the restricted zones which comprise protection and surveillance zones to be established by Romania, following outbreaks of infection with peste des petits ruminants virus in its territory, as well as a further restricted zone in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687;

(b) the duration of the disease control measures to be applied in the protection zones, in accordance with Article 39 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, in the surveillance zones in accordance with Article 55 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 and in the further restricted zone in accordance with Article 21 of that Delegated Regulation.

Article 2

Establishment of a restricted zone

Romania shall ensure that:

(a) a restricted zone, which comprises a protection zone, a surveillance zone as well as a further restricted zone, is established immediately by the competent authority 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, surveillance and further restricted 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, surveillance and further restricted zones, are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 3

Measures in the restricted zone

Movements of sheep and goats from the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones to a destination located outside the external perimeter of the further restricted zone as provided for in Point B of the Annex to this Decision are prohibited until the dates listed for each zone in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 4

Application

This Decision shall apply until 30 November 2024.

Article 5

Addressee

This Decision is addressed to Romania.

Done at Brussels, 29 July 2024.

For the Commission

Stella KYRIAKIDES

Member of the Commission

(1)  

OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj

.

(2)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases (

OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 64

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/687/oj

).

(3)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 of 3 December 2018 on the application of certain disease prevention and control rules to categories of listed diseases and establishing a list of species and groups of species posing a considerable risk for the spread of those listed diseases (

OJ L 308, 4.12.2018, p. 21

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/1882/oj

).

ANNEX

A.   

Protection and surveillance zones established around the confirmed outbreak

B.   

Further restricted zones

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/2119/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)