2024/2207

30.8.2024

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2024/2207

of 29 August 2024

concerning certain emergency measures relating to sheep pox and goat pox in Greece

(notified under document C(2024) 6222)

(Only the Greek 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) point (c) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Sheep pox and goat pox is an infectious viral 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 sheep pox and goat pox 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 sheep pox and goat pox, 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) Greece has informed the Commission of the current sheep pox and goat pox situation on its territory, following seven outbreaks of that disease in caprine and ovine animals in the regional unit of Evros, which were confirmed on 20 and 23 August 2024, and, in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, it has established a restricted zone, which comprises protection and surveillance zones, where the general disease control measures laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 are applied.

(5) 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 rapidly identify at Union level the restricted zone for sheep pox and goat pox, which comprises the protection and surveillance zones, as well as a further restricted zone, in Greece in collaboration with that Member State.

(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 sheep pox and goat pox in the areas affected by that disease and the overall epidemiological situation of sheep pox and goat pox 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 high risk of further spread of the disease, in particular due to the fact that, according to the information provided by the competent authority, four outbreaks of sheep pox and goat pox occurred simultaneously, within a radius of less than 80 km, suggesting that the disease had been present in the area for a period of time before being diagnosed.

(7) Due to the severity and urgency of the situation and in order to immediately limit the spread of the disease after this new outbreak 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 granting of 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.

(8) Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of sheep pox and goat pox and the need to prevent the disease spreading from the affected establishment in Greece to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States, it is appropriate that the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision apply as soon as possible.

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

(10) In addition, taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards sheep pox and goat pox, this Decision should apply until 31 December 2024.

(11) 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 as well as a further restricted zone to be established by Greece in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, following outbreaks of sheep pox and goat pox in its territory;

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

Article 2

Establishment of a restricted zone

Greece shall ensure that:

(a) a restricted zone, which comprises protection zones, surveillance zones 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 31 December 2024.

Article 5

Addressee

This Decision is addressed to the Hellenic Republic.

Done at Brussels, 29 August 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 outbreaks

Regional unit and ADIS reference number of the outbreaks	Areas established as protection and surveillance zones, part of the restricted zone in Greece referred to in Article 2	Date until applicable
Regional unit of Evros GR-CAPRIPOX-2024-00005 GR-CAPRIPOX-2024-00006 GR-CAPRIPOX-2024-00007 GR-CAPRIPOX-2024-00008 GR-CAPRIPOX-2024-00009 GR-CAPRIPOX-2024-000010 GR-CAPRIPOX-2024-000011	Protection zone: Those parts of the regional unit of Evros, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 41.49961111, Long. 26.54605556 (2024/5), Lat. 40.96145278, Long. 26.3345 (2024/6), Lat. 40.94543, Long. 26.275696 (2024/7), Lat. 40.876278, Long. 26.202551 (2024/8), Lat. 40.952487, Long. 26.280721 (2024/9) Lat. 40.920725, Long. 26.205981 (2024/10) Lat. 41.024363, Long. 26.302547 (2024/11)	16.9.2024
	Surveillance zone: Those parts of the regional unit of Evros, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 41.49961111, Long. 26.54605556 (2024/5), Lat. 40.96145278, Long. 26.3345 (2024/6), Lat. 40.94543, Long. 26.275696 (2024/7), Lat. 40.876278, Long. 26.202551 (2024/8), Lat. 40.952487, Long. 26.280721 (2024/9) Lat. 40.920725, Long. 26.205981 (2024/10) Lat. 41.024363, Long. 26.302547 (2024/11) excluding the areas contained in the protection zone	25.9.2024
	Surveillance zone: Those parts of the regional unit of Evros, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 41.49961111, Long. 26.54605556 (2024/5), Lat. 40.96145278, Long. 26.3345 (2024/6), Lat. 40.94543, Long. 26.275696 (2024/7), Lat. 40.876278, Long. 26.202551 (2024/8), Lat. 40.952487, Long. 26.280721 (2024/9) Lat. 40.920725, Long. 26.205981 (2024/10) Lat. 41.024363, Long. 26.302547 (2024/11)	17.9.2024-25.9.2024

B. Further restricted zone

Regional unit	Areas included in the further restricted zone established in Greece as referred to in Article 2	Date until applicable
Regional unit of Evros	The regional unit of Evros excluding the areas included in any protection or surveillance zone.	25.9.2024
Regional unit of Evros	The regional unit of Evros	26.9.2024-25.10.2024

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/2207/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)