Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 of 30 January 2020 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards rules for entry into the Union, and the movement and handling after entry of consignments of certain animals, germinal products and products of animal origin (Text with EEA relevance) (Text with EEA relevance)

Type Delegated Regulation
Publication 2020-06-03
Last updated 2026-08-12
State In force
Department European Commission, SANTE
Source EUR-Lex
articles 188
Reform history JSON API
  • (h) by way of derogation from Article 9(c), either has:
  • (i) an arrangement with a laboratory approved by the competent authority of the third country or territory to perform post-mortem examinations; or
  • (ii) one or more appropriate premises where post-mortem examinations may be performed under the authority of the establishment veterinarian.
Article 31
Derogation from the requirement of listing of the third country or territory and the listing of the confined establishment of origin of ungulates
1.

By way of derogation from the requirements laid down in Article 3, point (a)(i), and Article 28(1), consignments of ungulates from establishments in third countries or territories which do not comply with those requirements shall be permitted to enter into the Union if they are intended for a confined establishment and provided that:

  • (a) exceptional unforeseen circumstances render compliance with those requirements impossible;
  • (b) those consignments comply with the conditions laid down in Article 32.
2.

The Member State of the place of destination of the consignment referred to in paragraph 1 shall notify the Commission and the Member States within the framework of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed and notify directly the point of entry in the Union of the ungulates, of the authorisations granted pursuant to paragraph 1, prior to any possible movement through other Member States and prior to the arrival of such ungulates into their territory.

Article 32
Additional requirements to be fulfilled by establishments of origin of ungulates intended for a confined establishment pursuant to the derogation laid down in Article 31

The competent authority of a Member State of destination shall only authorise derogations, as provided for in Article 31, for consignments of ungulates that comply with the following additional conditions:

  • (a) a prior application to the competent authority of the Member State of destination for a specific derogation as provided for in Article 31 was made by the owner, or a natural person representing that owner, and the Member State of destination granted that authorisation after having carried out a risk assessment that has indicated that the introduction of such a consignment of ungulates would not present an animal health risk for the Union;
  • (b) the ungulates have been quarantined in the third country or territory of origin under the supervision of the competent authority for the necessary period of time required for them to comply with the specific animal health requirements laid down in Articles 33 and 34:
  • (i) at a place approved by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin of the ungulates;
  • (ii) in accordance with the arrangements specified in the authorisation referred to in point (a) that must provide at least the same guarantees as those provided for by Article 28(2) to (4) and by Articles 33 and 34;
  • (c) the ungulates must be quarantined in the confined establishment of destination for a period of at least 6 months from the date of entry into the Union, during which period the actions provided for in Article 138(2) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and in particular in its points 2(a), (d) and (k) may be taken by the competent authority of the Member State of destination.
Article 33
Animal health requirements for the confined establishment of origin of ungulates as regards listed diseases

Consignments of ungulates intended for a confined establishment located in the Union shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the confined establishment of origin complies with the following requirements as regards listed diseases:

  • (a) as regards the confined establishment of origin of the ungulates, listed diseases referred to in the table set out in Part A of Annex XII have not been reported for the periods specified for those listed diseases in that table;
  • (b) as regards the area in and around the confined establishment, listed diseases referred to in the table set out in Part B of Annex XII have been not reported for the periods specified for those listed diseases in that table.
Article 34
Animal health requirements for the ungulates of the consignment as regards listed diseases

Consignments of ungulates intended for a confined establishment located in the Union shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the animals of the consignment comply with the following additional animal health requirements:

  • (a) they must comply with a residency period in the confined establishment of origin for a continuous period of 6 months or since birth if they are less than 6 months of age;
  • (b) they must not have been in contact with animals of a lower health status during:
  • (i) the period of 30 days prior to the date of dispatch to the Union, or since birth if the animals are less than 30 days of age;
  • (ii) their transport from the approved confined establishment of origin to the place of dispatch to the Union;
  • (c) as regards the diseases referred to in the table set out in Part C of Annex XII, they must either:
  • (i) originate from a third country or territory or zone thereof which complies with the disease freedom periods for the relevant diseases set out in that table; or
  • (ii) comply with the relevant additional requirements set out in Part D of Annex XII;
  • (d) they must not have been vaccinated as referred to in the table set out in Part E of Annex XII;
  • (e) if they have been vaccinated against anthrax and rabies, information on the date of vaccination, the vaccine used and the possible test performed to show a protective immune response, must have been provided by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin;
  • (f) they must have been treated against internal and external parasites at least twice during the period of 40 days prior to date of dispatch to the Union.

Where the specific guarantees referred to in point (c)(ii) include a quarantine period in a vector-protected facility in the confined establishment, this facility must comply with the requirements set out in Part F of Annex XII.

Article 35
Movement and handling of ungulates intended to confined establishments after the entry

Following their entry into the Union, ungulates originating from a confined establishment in a third country or territory, as referred to in Article 27, must remain in the confined establishment of destination for a period of at least 6 months prior to the date of movement to another confined establishment in the Union, unless they are exported from the Union or moved for slaughter.

TITLE 3 ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR POULTRY AND CAPTIVE BIRDS

CHAPTER 1 Specific animal health requirements for poultry

SECTION 1 ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL SPECIES AND CATEGORIES OF POULTRY

Article 36
Poultry imported into the third country or territory of origin or zone thereof prior to entry into Union
1.

The following consignments shall only be permitted to enter the Union where the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin has provided guarantees in accordance with paragraph 2:

  • (a) poultry imported into the third country or territory of origin or zone thereof from another third country or territory or zone thereof;
  • (b) day-old chicks from parent flocks that were imported into the third country or territory of origin or zone thereof from another third country or territory or zone thereof.
2.

Consignments of animals referred to in paragraph 1 shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin of the poultry has provided guarantees that:

  • (a) those poultry and parent flocks referred to in that paragraph were imported from a third country or territory or zone thereof, which is listed for entry into Union of such consignments;
  • (b) the import of the poultry and parent flocks referred to paragraph 1 into that third country or territory or zone thereof took place in accordance with animal health requirements that are at least as stringent as those applicable to consignments of those animals entering directly into the Union.
Article 37
Requirements concerning the third country or territory of origin of poultry or zone thereof

Consignments of poultry shall only be permitted to enter the Union if such consignments originate from a third country or territory or zone thereof which complies with the following requirements:

  • (a) it has a disease surveillance programme for highly pathogenic avian influenza in place for a period of at least 6 months prior to the date of dispatch of the consignment to the Union and that surveillance programme complies with the requirements laid down in either:
  • (i) Annex II to this Regulation; or
  • (ii) the relevant Chapter of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE);
  • (b) it is considered to be free from highly pathogenic avian influenza in accordance with Article 38;
  • (c) where it carries out vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza, the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin has provided guarantees that:
  • (i) the vaccination programme complies with the requirements set out in Annex XIII;
  • (ii) the surveillance programme referred to in point (a) of this Article, in addition to the requirements set out in Annex II, complies with the requirements set out in point 2 of Annex XIII;
  • (iii) it has undertaken to inform the Commission of any change to the vaccination programme in the third country or territory or zone thereof;
  • (d) which:
  • (i) in the case of poultry other than ratites, it is considered free from infection with Newcastle disease virus in accordance with Article 39;
  • (ii) in the case of ratites:
  • — it is considered free from infection with Newcastle disease virus in accordance with Article 39, or
  • — it is not considered free from infection with Newcastle disease virus in accordance with Article 39, but the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin has provided guarantees regarding compliance with the requirements for infection with Newcastle disease virus in relation to isolation, surveillance and testing, as set out in Annex XIV;
  • (e) where vaccination against infection with Newcastle disease virus is carried out, the competent authority of the third country or territory has provided guarantees that:
  • (i) the vaccines used comply with the general and the specific criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV; or
  • (ii) the vaccines used comply with the general criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV and the poultry meet the animal health requirements set out in point 2 of Annex XV for poultry and hatching eggs originating from a third country or territory or zone thereof where vaccines used against infection with Newcastle disease virus do not meet the specific criteria set out in point 1 of Annex XV;
  • (f) it has undertaken that following any outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or an outbreak of infection with Newcastle disease virus, to submit the following information to the Commission:
  • (i) information on the disease situation within 24 hours of confirmation of any initial outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or infection with Newcastle disease virus;
  • (ii) regular updates on the disease situation;
  • (g) which has undertaken to submit virus isolates from initial outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza and infection with Newcastle disease virus to the European Union Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza and Newcastle disease.
Article 38
Freedom from highly pathogenic avian influenza of the third country or territory of origin or zone thereof
1.

A third country or territory or zone thereof shall be considered as being free from highly pathogenic avian influenza when it has provided the following guarantees to the Commission:

  • (a) a surveillance programme for highly pathogenic avian influenza, in accordance with Article 37(a) has been carried out during a period of at least 6 months preceding the date of certification of the consignment by the official veterinarian for dispatch to the Union;
  • (b) no outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has occurred in poultry in that third country or territory or zone thereof for a period of at least 12 months preceding the date of certification of the consignment by the official veterinarian for dispatch to the Union.
2.

Following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a third country or territory or zone thereof previously considered as free of that disease, as referred to in paragraph 1, that third country or territory or zone thereof shall again be considered as free from highly pathogenic avian influenza, subject to compliance with the following conditions:

  • (a) a stamping out policy has been implemented to control highly pathogenic avian influenza;
  • (b) adequate cleaning and disinfection has been carried out on all previously infected establishments;
  • (c) during a period of at least 30 days following the completion of the stamping out policy and cleaning and disinfection referred to in points (a) and (b), the competent authority of the third country or territory has carried out a surveillance programme, providing at least the confidence, by a randomised representative sample of the populations at risk, to demonstrate the absence of infection taking into account the specific epidemiological circumstances in relation to the occurred outbreak(s), with negative results.
Article 39
Freedom from infection with Newcastle disease virus of the third country or territory of origin or zone thereof
1.

A third country or territory or zone thereof shall be considered free from infection with Newcastle disease virus when no outbreak of infection with Newcastle disease virus has occurred in poultry in that third country or territory or zone thereof for a period of at least 12 months preceding the date of certification of the consignment by the official veterinarian for dispatch to the Union.

2.

When an outbreak of infection with Newcastle disease virus occurs in a third country or territory or zone thereof previously free from that disease, as referred to in paragraph 1, that third country or territory or zone thereof shall again be considered as free from that infection with Newcastle disease virus subject to compliance with the following conditions:

  • (a) a stamping out policy has been implemented to control the disease;
  • (b) adequate cleaning and disinfection has been carried out on all previously infected establishments;
  • (c) during a period of at least 3 months following the completion of the stamping out policy and cleaning and disinfection referred to in points (a) and (b), the competent authority of the third country or territory has demonstrated the absence of that disease in the third country or territory or zone thereof by intensified investigations including laboratory testing in relation to the outbreak.
Article 40
The establishment of origin of poultry
1.

Consignments of breeding poultry and productive poultry shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment come from establishments approved by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin in accordance with requirements which are at least as stringent as to those laid down in Article 8 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, and:

  • (a) the approval of which has not been suspended or withdrawn;
  • (b) within a 10 km radius of which, including, where appropriate, the territory of a neighbouring country, there has been no outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or infection with Newcastle disease virus during the period of at least 30 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union;
  • (c) in which no confirmed case of infection with low pathogenic avian influenza viruses has been reported during the period of at least 21 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union.
2.

Consignments of poultry intended for slaughter shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment come from establishments:

  • (a) within a 10 km radius of which, including, where appropriate, the territory of a neighbouring country, there has been no outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or infection with Newcastle disease virus during the period of at least 30 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union;
  • (b) in which no confirmed case of infection with low pathogenic avian influenza viruses has been reported during the period of at least 21 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union.
3.

Consignments of day-old chicks shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment:

  • (a) have been hatched in establishments approved by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin in accordance with requirements which are at least as stringent as to those laid down in Article 7 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035; and
  • (i) the approval of which has not been suspended or withdrawn;
  • (ii) within a 10 km radius of which, including, where appropriate, the territory of a neighbouring country, there has been no outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or infection with Newcastle disease virus during the period of at least 30 days prior to the date of dispatch to the Union;
  • (b) come from flocks which have been kept in establishments approved by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin in accordance with requirements which are at least as stringent as to those laid down in Article 8 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, and
  • (i) the approval of which had not been suspended or withdrawn at the time the hatching eggs, from which the day-old chick were hatched, were sent to the hatchery;
  • (ii) in which no confirmed case of infection with low pathogenic avian influenza viruses has been reported during the period of at least 21 days prior to the date of collection of the hatching eggs from which the day-old chicks were hatched.
Article 41
Specific preventive measures for the containers in which poultry are transported

Consignments of poultry shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if such consignments have been transported in containers which, in addition to the requirements of Article 18, comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) they are closed in accordance with the instructions of the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin in order to avoid any possibility of substitution of the contents;
  • (b) they bear the information for the particular species and category of poultry set out in Annex XVI;
  • (c) in the case of day-old chicks, they are disposable, clean and used for the first time.
Article 42
Entry of poultry into Member States with status free from infection with Newcastle disease virus without vaccination
1.

Consignments of breeding poultry and productive poultry intended for a Member State with status free from infection with Newcastle disease virus without vaccination shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) they have not been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus;
  • (b) they have been kept in isolation during a period of at least 14 days prior to the date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union in the establishment of origin or quarantine establishment under the supervision of an official veterinarian, where:
  • (i) no poultry has been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus during a period of at least 21 days prior to the date of loading of the consignment;
  • (ii) no bird which does not form part of the consignment has entered into the establishment during period referred to in point (i);
  • (iii) no vaccination has been carried out;
  • (c) they have tested negative, during the period of at least 14 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union, to serological tests to detect antibodies against Newcastle disease virus, performed on blood samples at a level which gives 95 % confidence of detecting infection at 5 % prevalence.
2.

Consignments of poultry intended for slaughter intended for a Member State with status free from infection with Newcastle disease virus without vaccination, shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment come from flocks which:

  • (a) have not been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus and have tested negative, during a period of at least 14 days prior to the date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union, to serological tests to detect antibodies against Newcastle disease virus performed on blood samples at a level which gives 95 % confidence of detecting infection at 5 % prevalence; or
  • (b) have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus but not with a live vaccine during the period of at least 30 days prior to the date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union and underwent a virus isolation test for infection with Newcastle disease virus in the 14 days prior to that date on a random sample of cloacal swabs or faeces samples taken from at least 60 birds and tested negative.
3.

Consignments of day-old chicks intended for a Member State with status free from infection with Newcastle disease virus without vaccination shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment:

  • (a) have not been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus;
  • (b) come from hatching eggs coming from flocks which comply with one of the following:
  • (i) they have not been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus; or
  • (ii) they have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus using an inactivated vaccine; or
  • (iii) they have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus using a live vaccine at the latest 60 days prior to the date the eggs were collected;
  • (c) come from a hatchery where working practices ensure that the eggs of day-old chicks intended for entry into the Union are incubated at completely separate times and locations from eggs not satisfying the requirements laid down in point (b).

SECTION 2 SPECIFIC ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR BREEDING AND PRODUCTIVE POULTRY

Article 43
Identification of breeding ratites and productive ratites
1.

Consignments of breeding ratites and productive ratites shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the animals of the consignment are individually identified prior to being dispatched from the establishment of origin, by at least one of the following means of identification displaying an identification code establishing an unequivocal link between the animal and the accompanying animal health certificate:

  • (a) a neck-tag with a visible, legible and indelible display of an identification code made up of the code of the third country or territory of origin conforming with ISO standard 3166-1, and a unique code in numeric characters;
  • (b) an injectable transponder with a legible and indelible display of an identification code made up of the code of the third country or territory of origin conforming with ISO standard 3166-1, and a unique code in numeric characters.
2.

When the injectable transponder does not comply with ISO standards 11784 and 11785, the operator responsible for the entry into the Union of the consignment of ratites shall provide the reading device which enables at any time the verification of the identification of the animals.

Article 44
Specific animal health requirements for the flock of origin of consignments of breeding and productive poultry

Consignments of breeding poultry and productive poultry shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment originate from flocks which comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) the flocks have not been vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza;
  • (b) if the flocks have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus:
  • (i) guarantees have been provided by the competent authorities of the third country or territory of origin that the vaccines used comply either with:
  • — the general and the specific criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV, or
  • — the general criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV, and the poultry meet the animal health requirements set out in point 2 of Annex XV for poultry and hatching eggs originating from a third country or territory or zone thereof where vaccines used against infection with Newcastle disease virus do not meet the specific criteria set out in point 1 of Annex XV;
  • (ii) the information set out in point 4 of Annex XV must be provided for the consignment;
  • (c) the flocks have undergone a disease surveillance programme that meets the requirements set out in Annex II of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, and were found not to be infected or showed any ground for suspecting any infection by the following agents:
  • (i) Salmonella Pullorum, Salmonella Gallinarum and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in case of Gallus gallus;
  • (ii) Salmonella arizonae (serogroup O:18(k)), Salmonella Pullorum, Salmonella Gallinarum, Mycoplasma meleagridis and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in case of Meleagris gallopavo;
  • (iii) Salmonella Pullorum and Salmonella Gallinarum in case of Numida meleagris, Coturnix coturnix, Phasianus colchicus, Perdix perdix, Anas spp.;
  • (d) the flocks are kept in establishments which, in case of confirmation of infection with Salmonella Pullorum, S. Gallinarum and S. arizonae during the last 12 months prior to date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union have applied the following measures:
  • (i) the infected flock has been slaughtered or it has been killed and destroyed;
  • (ii) following the slaughter or killing of the infected flock referred to in point (i), the establishment has been cleaned and disinfected;
  • (iii) following the cleaning and disinfection referred to in point (ii), all flocks on the establishment tested negative for infection with Salmonella Pullorum, S. Gallinarum and S. arizonae in two tests performed with an interval of at least 21 days in accordance with the disease surveillance programme referred to in point (c);
  • (e) the flocks are kept in establishments which in case of confirmation of avian mycoplasmosis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. meleagridis) during the last 12 months prior to date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union have applied the following measures: either
  • (i) the infected flock tested negative for avian mycoplasmosis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. meleagridis) in two tests performed in accordance with the disease surveillance programme referred to in point (c) on the entire flock with an interval of at least 60 days; or
  • (ii) the infected flock has been slaughtered or it has been killed and destroyed, the establishment has been cleaned and disinfected and following the cleaning and disinfection all flocks on the establishment tested negative for avian mycoplasmosis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. meleagridis) in two tests performed with an interval of at least 21 days in accordance with the disease surveillance programme referred to in point (c).

SECTION 3 SPECIFIC ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR POULTRY INTENDED FOR SLAUGHTER

Article 45
Specific animal health requirements for the flock of origin of consignments of poultry intended for slaughter

Consignments of poultry intended for slaughter shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment originate from flocks which comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) they have not been vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza;
  • (b) if they have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus:
  • (i) guarantees have been provided by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin that:
  • — the vaccines used comply with the general and the specific criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV, or
  • — the vaccines used comply with the general criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV and the poultry meet the animal health requirements set out in point 2 of Annex XV for poultry and hatching eggs originating from a third country or territory or zone thereof where vaccines used against infection with Newcastle disease virus do not meet the specific criteria set out in point 1 of Annex XV;
  • (ii) the information set out in point 4 of Annex XV must be provided for each consignment.

SECTION 4 SPECIFIC ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR DAY-OLD CHICKS

Article 46
Specific animal health requirements for the flocks of origin of consignments of day-old chicks

Consignments of day-old chicks shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment originate from flocks which comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) if the flocks have been vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza, guarantees for compliance with the minimum requirements for vaccination programmes and additional surveillance set out in Annex XIII, have been provided by the third country or territory of origin;
  • (b) if the flocks have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus:
  • (i) guarantees have been provided by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin that the vaccines used comply either with:
  • — the general and the specific criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV, or
  • — the general criteria for recognised vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV and the poultry and hatching eggs from which the day-old chicks originated meet the animal health requirements set out in point 2 of Annex XV for poultry and hatching eggs originating from a third country or territory or zone thereof where vaccines used against infection with Newcastle disease virus do not meet the specific criteria set out in point 1 of Annex XV;
  • (ii) the information set out in point 4 of Annex XV must be provided for each consignment;
  • (c) the flocks have undergone a disease surveillance programme that meets the requirements set out in Annex II of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 and were found not to be infected or showed any grounds for suspecting any infection by the following agents:
  • (i) Salmonella Pullorum, Salmonella Gallinarum and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in case of Gallus gallus;
  • (ii) Salmonella arizonae (serogroup O:18(k)), Salmonella Pullorum, Salmonella Gallinarum, Mycoplasma meleagridis and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in case of Meleagris gallopavo;
  • (iii) Salmonella Pullorum and Salmonella Gallinarum in case of Numida meleagris, Coturnix coturnix, Phasianus colchicus, Perdix perdix, Anas spp.;
  • (d) the flocks are kept in establishments which, in case of confirmation of infection with Salmonella Pullorum, S. Gallinarum and S. arizonae during the last 12 months prior to date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union have applied the following measures:
  • (i) the infected flock has been slaughtered or it has been killed and destroyed;
  • (ii) following the slaughter or killing of the infected flock referred to in point (i), the establishment has been cleaned and disinfected;
  • (iii) following the cleaning and disinfection referred to in point (ii), all flocks on the establishment tested negative for infection with Salmonella Pullorum, S. Gallinarum and S. arizonae in two tests performed with an interval of at least 21 days in accordance with the disease surveillance programme referred to in point (c);
  • (e) the flocks are kept in establishments which in case of confirmation of avian mycoplasmosis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. meleagridis) during the last 12 months prior to date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union have applied the following measures: either
  • (i) the infected flock tested negative for avian mycoplasmosis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. meleagridis) in two tests performed in accordance with the disease surveillance programme referred to in point (c) on the entire flock with an interval of at least 60 days; or
  • (ii) the infected flock has been slaughtered or it has been killed and destroyed, the establishment has been cleaned and disinfected and following the cleaning and disinfection all flocks on the establishment tested negative for avian mycoplasmosis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. meleagridis) in two tests performed with an interval of at least 21 days in accordance with the disease surveillance programme referred to in point (c).
Article 47
Specific animal health requirements for the hatching eggs of origin of consignments of day-old chicks

Consignments of day-old chicks shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment originate from hatching eggs which:

  • (a) comply with the animal health requirements for entry into the Union laid down in Title 2 of Part III;
  • (b) prior to being dispatched to the hatchery, the hatching eggs had been marked in accordance with the instruction of the competent authority;
  • (c) had been disinfected in accordance with the instructions of the competent authority;
  • (d) have had no contact with poultry or hatching eggs of a lower health status, captive birds or wild birds, either during transport to the hatchery or in the hatchery.
Article 48
Specific animal health requirements for the day-old chicks

Consignments of day-old chicks shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment have not been vaccinated against avian influenza.

SECTION 5 SPECIFIC ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR LESS THAN 20 HEADS OF POULTRY

Article 49
Derogation and specific requirements for consignments of less than 20 heads of poultry, other than ratites

By way of derogation from Article 14(3), Article 40 and Articles 43 to 48, consignments containing less than 20 heads of poultry other than ratites, shall be permitted to enter the Union provided that such consignments comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) the poultry come from establishments where:
  • (i) no confirmed case of infection with low pathogenic avian influenza viruses has been reported during the period of at least 21 days prior to date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union or the date of collection of the hatching eggs from which the day-old chicks were hatched;
  • (ii) within a 10 km radius of the establishment, including, where appropriate, the territory of a neighbouring country, there has been no outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or infection with Newcastle disease virus for a period of at least 30 days prior to date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union;
  • (b) the poultry or, in the case of day-old chicks, the flock of origin of the day-old chicks, have been isolated on the establishment of origin for a period of at least 21 days prior to the date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union;
  • (c) as regards vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza:
  • (i) the poultry have not been vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza;
  • (ii) the flock of origin of the poultry, except day-old chicks, has not been vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza;
  • (iii) where the parent flocks of the day-old chicks have been vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza, guarantees for compliance with the minimum requirements for vaccination programmes and additional surveillance set out in Annex XIII have been provided by the third country or territory of origin;
  • (d) where the poultry or the parent flock of the day-old chicks have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus:
  • (i) guarantees have been provided by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin that the vaccines used comply either with:
  • — the general and the specific criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV, or
  • — the general criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV and the poultry meet the animal health requirements set out in point 2 of Annex XV for poultry and hatching eggs originating from a third country or territory or zone thereof where vaccines used against infection with Newcastle disease virus do not meet the specific criteria set out in point 1 of Annex XV;
  • (ii) the information set out in point 4 of Annex XV must be provided for each consignment;
  • (e) the poultry or, in the case of day-old chicks the flock of origin of the day-old chicks, were found not to be infected or showed any grounds for suspecting any infection by the following agents in tests performed in accordance with the requirements for testing of consignments of less than 20 heads of poultry other than ratites and less than 20 hatching eggs thereof prior to the entry into the union, set out in Annex XVII;
  • (i) Salmonella Pullorum, Salmonella Gallinarum and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in case of Gallus gallus;
  • (ii) Salmonella arizonae (serogroup O:18(k)), Salmonella Pullorum, Salmonella Gallinarum, Mycoplasma meleagridis and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in case of Meleagris gallopavo;
  • (iii) Salmonella Pullorum and Salmonella Gallinarum in case of Numida meleagris, Coturnix coturnix, Phasianus colchicus, Perdix perdix, Anas spp.;
  • (f) the day-old chicks come from hatching eggs which prior to incubation have been disinfected in accordance with the instructions of the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin.

SECTION 6 SPECIFIC ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR MOVEMENT AND HANDLING OF POULTRY AFTER THE ENTRY INTO THE UNION

Article 50
Obligations on operators at the establishment of destination following the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry
1.

Operators at the establishment of destination shall keep breeding poultry, productive poultry, except productive poultry for restocking supplies of game birds, and day-old chicks which have entered into the Union from a third country or territory or zone thereof on the establishments of destination from their date of arrival for a continuous period of at least:

  • (a) 6 weeks; or
  • (b) until the day of slaughter, when the animals are slaughtered within 6 weeks of the date of arrival.
2.

In the case of poultry other than ratites, the 6-week period provided for in paragraph 1(a), may be reduced to 3 weeks, provided that, at the request of the operator, sampling and testing in accordance with Article 51(b) have been carried out with favourable results.

3.

Operators at the establishment of destination shall ensure that poultry referred to in paragraph 1, undergo a clinical inspection carried out by an official veterinarian on the establishment of destination no later than the date of expiry of the relevant periods provided for in that paragraph.

4.

During the periods provided for in paragraph 1, operators shall keep poultry which have entered into the Union from a third country or territory or zone thereof, separate from other flocks of poultry.

5.

Where poultry referred to in paragraph 1 are placed in the same flock as other poultry present at the establishment of destination, the periods referred to in paragraph 1(a) and (b) shall commence from the date of introduction of the last bird on the establishment of destination and no poultry present shall be moved from the flock before the expiry of those periods.

Article 51
Obligation on the competent authorities as regards sampling and testing of consignments of poultry after entry into the Union

The competent authority of the Member State of destination shall ensure that:

  • (a) during the periods provided for in Article 50(1), breeding poultry, productive poultry, except productive poultry for restocking supplies of game birds, and day-old chicks which have entered into the Union from a third country or territory or zone thereof, undergo a clinical inspection carried out by an official veterinarian on the establishment of destination no later than the date of expiry of the relevant periods provided for in that Article and, where necessary, sampled for testing to monitor their health status;
  • (b) in the case of poultry other than ratites and when it is requested by the operator as referred to in Article 50(2), sampling and testing of poultry other than ratites is carried out in accordance with Annex XVIII.
Article 52
Obligation on the competent authorities as regards sampling and testing following the entry into the Union of consignments of ratites originating from a third country or territory or zone thereof not free from infection with Newcastle disease virus

The competent authority of the Member State of destination shall ensure that breeding ratites, productive ratites and day-old chicks of ratites that have entered into the Union from a third country or territory or zone thereof that is not free from infection with Newcastle disease virus, during the periods provided for in Article 50(1):

  • (a) they are subject to a virus detection test for infection with Newcastle disease virus carried out by the competent authority on a cloacal swab or faeces sample from each ratite;
  • (b) in the case of consignments of ratites destined for a Member State with status free from infection with Newcastle disease virus without vaccination from a third country or territory or zone thereof not free from infection with Newcastle disease virus, in addition to the requirements referred to in point (a), they are subject to a serological test for infection with Newcastle disease virus carried out by the competent authority on each ratite;
  • (c) all ratites shall have tested negative to the tests provided for in points (a) and (b) prior to their release from isolation.

CHAPTER 2 Specific animal health requirements for captive birds

SECTION 1 ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR CAPTIVE BIRDS

Article 53
Requirements concerning the identification of captive birds
1.

Consignments of captive birds shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the animals in the consignment are identified prior to being dispatched from the establishment of origin, by at least one of the following means of identification establishing an unequivocal link between the animals and the accompanying animal health certificate:

  • (a) a closed-ring attached at least to one leg of the bird with the visible, legible and indelible display of an identification code made up of the code of the third country or territory where they were initially identified conforming with ISO standard 3166-1, and a unique code in numeric characters;
  • (b) an injectable transponder with a legible and indelible display of an identification code made up of the code of the third country or territory where they were initially identified conforming with ISO standard 3166-1, and a unique code in numeric characters.
2.

Where captive birds are identified with an injectable transponder as referred to in paragraph 1, point (b), which does not comply with the ISO standards 11784 and 11785, the operator responsible for the entry into the Union of the consignment of captive birds shall provide the reading device which enables at any time the verification of the identification of the captive birds.

3.

By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the competent authority may accept in exceptional circumstances captive birds which do not comply with the provisions of that paragraph as far as the means of identification and the individual identification number are concerned, subject to compliance with the following conditions:

  • (a) the final destination of the captive bird is a confined establishment;
  • (b) the captive bird was initially identified under a different internationally recognised standard;
  • (c) it was not possible to reidentify the captive bird in accordance with the rules provided for in paragraph 1;
  • (d) there is no doubt about the third country or territory where the captive bird was initially identified;
  • (e) the means of identification with the individual identification code of the captive bird establishes an unequivocal link between the animal and the accompanying animal health certificate.
Article 54
Specific preventive measures for the containers in which captive birds are transported

Consignments of captive birds shall only be permitted to enter the Union if such consignments have been transported in containers which, in addition to the requirements regarding containers laid down in Article 18, comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) they are closed in accordance with the instructions of the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin in order to avoid the possibility of any substitution of the contents;
  • (b) they bear the information for the particular species and category of birds set out in Annex XVI;
  • (c) they are used for the first time.
Article 55
Requirements concerning the establishment of origin of the consignment of captive birds

Consignments of captive birds shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the animals of the consignment come from an establishment which complies with the following requirements:

  • (a) it has been approved by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin as meeting the specific animal requirements laid down in Article 56, and that approval has not been suspended or withdrawn;
  • (b) it has been assigned a unique approval number by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin, which has been communicated to the Commission;
  • (c) the name and approval number of the establishment of origin appears on a list of establishments drawn up and published by the Commission;
  • (d) within a 10 km radius of the establishment, including, where appropriate, the territory of any neighbouring country, there has been no outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or infection with Newcastle disease virus for a period of at least the preceding 30 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union;
  • (e) in the case of psittacidae, either:
  • (i) avian chlamydiosis has not been confirmed on the establishment for a period of at least the 60 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union and in case avian chlamydiosis has been confirmed on the establishment during the last 6 months prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union, the following measures have been applied:
  • — infected birds and birds likely to be infected have received treatment,
  • — following the completion of the treatment, they have been found negative to laboratory testing for avian chlamydiosis,
  • — after the completion of the treatment, the establishment has been cleaned and disinfected,
  • — at least 60 days have elapsed from the completion of the cleaning and disinfection referred to in the third indent; or
  • (ii) the animals have been kept under veterinary supervision for the 45 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union and were treated against avian chlamydiosis.
Article 56
Specific animal health requirements for the approval, maintenance of approval and suspension, withdrawal or re-granting of the approval of the establishments of origin of the consignment of captive birds
1.

Consignments of captive birds shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment come from establishments approved by the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin as referred to in Article 55, and that comply with the following requirements set out in Annex XIX:

  • (a) point 1, in relation to biosecurity measures;
  • (b) point 2, in relation to facilities and equipment;
  • (c) point 3, in relation to record keeping;
  • (d) point 4, in relation to personnel;
  • (e) point 5, in relation to health status.
2.

Consignments of captive birds shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment come from establishments which are under the control of an official veterinarian of the competent authority of the third country or territory, who shall:

  • (a) ensure that the conditions set out in this Article are met;
  • (b) visit the premises of the establishment at least once per year;
  • (c) audit the activity of the veterinarian of the establishment and the implementation of the annual disease surveillance programme;
  • (d) verify that the results of the clinical, post-mortem and laboratory tests on the animals have revealed no occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza, infection with Newcastle disease virus or avian chlamydiosis.
3.

The approval of an establishment of captive birds shall be suspended or withdrawn where that establishment no longer complies with the conditions set out in paragraphs 1 and 2, or there has been a change of use so that it is no longer used exclusively for captive birds.

4.

The approval of an establishment of captive birds shall be suspended when the competent authority of the third country or territory has received notification of the suspicion of highly pathogenic avian influenza, infection with Newcastle disease virus or avian chlamydiosis, and until the suspicion has been officially ruled out. Following the notification of suspicion, the necessary measures to confirm or rule out the suspicion and to avoid any spread of disease shall be taken, in accordance with the requirements of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687.

5.

When the approval of an establishment has been suspended or withdrawn, the establishment shall again be approved provided the following conditions are met:

  • (a) the disease and the source of infection has been eradicated;
  • (b) adequate cleaning and disinfection has been carried out on previously infected establishments;
  • (c) the establishment fulfils the conditions laid down in paragraph 1.
6.

Consignments of captive birds shall only be permitted to enter into the Union when the third country or territory of origin has undertaken to inform the Commission of the suspension, withdrawal or re-granting of approval of any establishment.

Article 57
Specific animal health requirements for the captive birds

Consignments of captive birds shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the animals of the consignment comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) they have not been vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza;
  • (b) where they have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus, the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin has provided guarantees that the vaccines used comply with the general and specific criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV;
  • (c) they have been subjected to a virus detection test for highly pathogenic avian influenza and infection with Newcastle disease virus with negative results, within a period of 7 to 14 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union.
Article 58
Requirements concerning the entry of consignments of captive birds into Member States with status free from infection with Newcastle disease virus without vaccination

Consignments of captive birds of galliformes species intended for a Member State with status free from infection with Newcastle disease virus without vaccination, shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the animals of the consignment:

  • (a) have not be vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus;
  • (b) have been kept in isolation for a period of at least 14 days prior to the date of loading of the consignment for dispatch to the Union in the establishment of origin or quarantine establishment in the third country or territory of origin under the supervision of an official veterinarian, where:
  • (i) no bird has been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus during the period of 21 days preceding the date of dispatch of the consignment;
  • (ii) no bird which was not intended for the consignment has entered into the establishment during that time;
  • (iii) no vaccination has been carried out on the establishment;
  • (c) have tested negative, during the period of 14 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union, to serological tests to detect the presence of antibodies against Newcastle disease virus, performed on blood samples at a level which gives 95 % confidence of detecting infection at 5 % prevalence.

SECTION 2 SPECIFIC ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR MOVEMENT AND HANDLING OF CAPTIVE BIRDS AFTER THEIR ENTRY INTO THE UNION

Article 59
Requirements concerning the movement of captive birds after entry into the Union

Following their entry into the Union, consignments of captive birds shall be transported without delay directly to a quarantine establishment approved in accordance with Article 14 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, as follows:

  • (a) the total journey from the point of entry into the Union to the quarantine establishment must not exceed 9 hours;
  • (b) vehicles used for the transport of the consignment to the quarantine establishment must be sealed by the competent authority in such a way that prevents the possibility of any substitution of the contents.
Article 60
Obligation on operators at the quarantine establishment following the entry into the Union of consignments of captive birds

Operators of the quarantine establishment for the captive birds referred to in Article 59 shall:

  • (a) keep captive birds quarantined for a period of at least 30 days;
  • (b) where sentinel birds are used for examination, sampling and testing procedures, ensure that:
  • (i) a minimum number of 10 sentinel birds are used in each unit of the quarantine establishment;
  • (ii) they are at least 3 weeks old and used only once for those purposes;
  • (iii) they are either leg-banded for identification purposes or identified with another non-removable means of identification;
  • (iv) they are unvaccinated and have been found sero-negative for highly pathogenic avian influenza and infection with Newcastle disease virus within a period of 14 days prior to the date of commencement of quarantine;
  • (v) they are placed in the approved quarantine establishment before the arrival of the captive birds in the common air space and as close as possible to the captive birds so that close contact between the sentinel birds and the excrements of the captive birds in quarantine is ensured;
  • (c) release the captive birds from quarantine only on the written authorisation of an official veterinarian.
Article 61
Obligation on the competent authorities following the entry into the Union of consignments of captive birds

Following the arrival of the captive birds in the quarantine establishment referred to in Article 59, the competent authority shall:

  • (a) inspect the conditions of quarantine, including an examination of the mortality records and a clinical inspection of the captive birds, at least at the beginning and the end of quarantine period;
  • (b) subject the captive birds to testing for highly pathogenic avian influenza and infection with Newcastle disease virus, in accordance with the examination, sampling and testing procedures set out in Annex XX.

SECTION 3 DEROGATIONS FROM THE ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY INTO THE UNION OF CAPTIVE BIRDS AND FOR MOVEMENT AND HANDLING OF THOSE BIRDS AFTER THEIR ENTRY INTO THE UNION

Article 62
Derogations from the animal health requirements for the entry into the Union of captive birds
1.

By way of derogation from requirements laid down in Articles 3 to 10, except point (a)(i) of Article 3, Articles 11 to 19 and Articles 53 to 61, consignments of captive birds which do not comply with those requirements shall be permitted to enter the Union if they originate from third countries or territories specifically listed for the entry into the Union of captive birds based on equivalent guarantees.

2.

By way of derogation from the requirements laid down in Article 11 and Articles 54 to 58, consignments of racing pigeons which enter the Union from a third country or territory or zone thereof where they are normally kept, with the intention to be immediately released with the expectation that they will fly back to that third country or territory or zone thereof and which do not comply with those requirements, shall be permitted to enter the Union if they comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) the Member State of destination has determined that the racing pigeons may enter into its territory from that third country or territory or zone thereof in accordance with Article 230(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429;
  • (b) they come from a registered establishment, within a 10 km radius of which, including, where appropriate, the territory of any neighbouring country, there has been no outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or infection with Newcastle disease virus for a period of at least the preceding 30 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union;
  • (c) they have not been vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza;
  • (d) they have been vaccinated against infection with Newcastle disease virus and the competent authority of the third country or territory of origin has provided guarantees that the vaccines used comply with the general and specific criteria for vaccines against infection with Newcastle disease virus set out in point 1 of Annex XV;
  • (e) they come from an establishment where vaccination against infection with Newcastle disease virus is carried out.
3.

By way of derogation from the requirements laid down in Articles 59, 60 and 61, the competent authority of the Member State of entry into the Union may authorise the entry into the Union of racing pigeons which will not be transported directly to a quarantine establishment approved in accordance with Article 14 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 if they are:

  • (a) racing pigeons which have entered into the Union from a third country or territory or zone thereof where they are normally kept in accordance with paragraph 2;
  • (b) released immediately, under the control of the competent authority, with the expectation that they will fly back to the third country or territory of origin or zone thereof.
4.

By way of derogation from the requirements laid down in Articles 53 to 61 and 115 and 116, the competent authority of the Member State of entry may authorise the entry into the Union of consignments of captive birds or of their hatching eggs which do not comply with those requirements where:

  • (a) they are intended for entry into the Union for conservation programmes or purposes accepted by the competent authority of the Member State of destination, and
  • (b) the competent authority of the Member State of destination granted a specific authorisation for the entry of each consignment and determined the rules applicable for such entry.

TITLE 4 ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR HONEYBEES AND BUMBLE BEES

CHAPTER 1 General animal health requirements for honeybees and bumble bees

Article 63
Authorised categories of bees

Only consignments of the following categories of bees shall be permitted to enter the Union:

  • (a) queen honeybees;
  • (b) bumble bees.
Article 64
Dispatch to the Union of honeybees and bumble bees

Consignments of queen honeybees and bumble bees shall only be permitted to enter the Union if they comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) the packaging material and queen cages used to dispatch the honeybees and bumble bees into the Union must:
  • (i) be new;
  • (ii) not have been in contact with any bees and brood combs;
  • (iii) have been subject to all precautions to prevent their contamination with pathogens causing diseases of honeybees or bumble bees;
  • (b) the feedingstuff accompanying the honeybees and bumble bees must be free from pathogens causing their diseases;
  • (c) the packaging material and accompanying products must have undergone a visual examination prior to dispatch to the Union to ensure that they do not pose an animal health risk and do not contain:
  • (i) in the case of honeybees, Aethina tumida (Small hive beetle) and Tropilaelaps mite in any of their life stages;
  • (ii) in the case of bumble bees, Aethina tumida (Small hive beetle), in any of their life stages.

CHAPTER 2 Specific animal health requirements for queen honeybees

Article 65
The apiary of origin of queen honeybees

Consignments of queen honeybees shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the honeybees of the consignment originate from an apiary which is situated in an area:

  • (a) of at least a 100 km radius, including where appropriate the territory of a neighbouring third country:
  • (i) where infestation with Aethina tumida (Small hive beetle) or infestation with Tropilaelaps spp. has not been reported;
  • (ii) there are no restrictions in place due to a suspicion, case or outbreak of the diseases referred to in (i);
  • (b) of at least 3 km radius, including where appropriate the territory of a neighbouring third country:
  • (i) American foulbrood has not been reported for a period of at least 30 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union;
  • (ii) there are no restrictions in place due to a suspicion or a confirmed case of American foulbrood during the period referred to in point (i);
  • (iii) where there had been a previous confirmed case of American foulbrood before the period referred to in point (i), all hives were subsequently checked by the competent authority in the third country or territory of origin and all infected hives were treated and subsequently inspected with favourable results within a period of 30 days from the date of last recorded case of that disease.
Article 66
The hive of origin of queen honeybees

Consignments of queen honeybees shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the honeybees of the consignment originate from hives from which samples of the comb have been tested for American foulbrood with negative results within the period of 30 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union.

Article 67
The consignment of queen honeybees

Consignments of queen honeybees shall only be permitted to enter the Union if such consignments are in closed cages, each containing one single queen honeybee with a maximum of 20 accompanying attendants.

Article 68
Additional guarantees for queen honeybees destined to certain Member States or zone as regards the infestation with Varroa spp. (Varroosis)

Consignments of queen honeybees destined to a Member State or zone with disease-free status for infestation with Varroa spp. (Varroosis) shall only be permitted to enter the Union if such consignments comply with the following requirements:

  • (a) the honeybees of the consignment must originate from a third country or territory or zone thereof free from infestation with infestation with Varroa spp. (Varroosis);
  • (b) in the third country or territory of origin or zone thereof, infestation with Varroa spp. (Varroosis) has not been reported for a period of 30 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union;
  • (c) every precaution has been taken to avoid contamination of the consignment with Varroa spp. during loading and dispatch to the Union.

CHAPTER 3 Specific animal health requirements for bumble bees

Article 69
The establishment of origin of bumble bees

Consignments of bumble bees shall only be permitted to enter the Union if the bumble bees of the consignment:

  • (a) have been bred and kept in an environmentally isolated bumble bee production establishment which:
  • (i) has facilities which ensure that the production of bumble bees is carried out inside of a flying insect-proof building;
  • (ii) has facilities and equipment which ensure that the bumble bees are further isolated in separate epidemiological units and each colony in closed containers within the building throughout the whole production;
  • (iii) the storage and handling of pollen within the facilities is isolated from the bumble bees throughout the whole production of bumble bees until it is fed to them;
  • (iv) has standard operating procedures to prevent the entry of small hive beetle into the establishment and to regularly survey for the presence of small hive beetle within the establishment;
  • (b) within the establishment referred to in point (a), the bumble bees must come from an epidemiological unit in which infestation with Aethina tumida (Small hive beetle) has not been detected.
Article 70
The consignment of bumble bees

Consignments of bumble bees shall only be permitted to enter the Union if such consignments have been dispatched to the Union in closed containers, each containing a colony of a maximum of 200 adult bumble bees, with or without a queen.

CHAPTER 4 Specific animal health requirements for handling after the entry of queen honeybees and bumble bees

Article 71
Handling after the entry of queen honeybees and bumble bees
1.

Following their entry into the Union, queen honeybees must not be introduced in local colonies unless they are transferred from the transport cage to new cages in accordance with paragraph 2 with the permission and, as appropriate, under the direct supervision of the competent authority.

2.

Following the transfer in new cages as referred to in paragraph 1, the transport cages, attendants, and other material that accompanied the queen honeybees from the third country of origin must be submitted to an official laboratory for examination to rule out the presence of Aethina Tumida (Small hive beetle), including eggs and larvae, and any signs of the Tropilaelaps mite.

3.

Operators receiving bumble bees shall destroy the container and the packaging material that accompanied them from the third country or territory of origin but they may keep them in the container in which they entered into the Union until the end of the lifespan of the colony.

Article 72
Specific obligations for the competent authorities in the Member States

The competent authority of the Member State of the place of destination of consignments of honeybees or bumble bees shall:

  • (a) supervise the transfer from the transport cage to the new cages referred to in Article 71(1);
  • (b) ensure the submission by the operator of the materials referred to in Article 71(2);
  • (c) ensure that the official laboratory referred to in Article 71(2) have arrangements in place to destroy the cages, attendants and the material after the laboratory examination provided for in that provision.

TITLE 5 ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY INTO THE UNION OF DOGS, CATS AND FERRETS

Article 73
Dispatch of the dogs, cats and ferrets to the Union
1.

Consignments of dogs, cats and ferrets shall only be permitted to enter the Union if such consignments have been dispatched from their establishment of origin to the Union, without passing through any other establishment.

2.

By way of derogation from paragraph 1, consignments of dogs, cats and ferrets coming from more than one establishment of origin may be permitted to enter the Union if the animals of the consignment have undergone a single assembly operation in the third country or territory of origin or zone thereof subject to compliance with the following conditions:

  • (a) the assembly operation took place in an establishment:
  • (i) approved for conducting assembly operations of dogs, cats and ferrets by the competent authority in the third country or territory in accordance with requirements at least as stringent as those laid down in Article 10 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;
  • (ii) which has a unique approval number assigned by the competent authority of the third country or territory;
  • (iii) listed for that purpose by the competent authority of the third country or territory of dispatch, including the information provided for in Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;
  • (iv) where the following records are kept up-to-date for a period of at least 3 years:
  • — the origin of the animals,
  • — the dates of arrival and dispatch to and from the assembly centre,
  • — the identification code of the animals,
  • — the registration number of the establishment of origin of the animals,
  • — the registration number of the transporters and the means of transport delivering or collecting the consignment of dogs, cats and ferrets to and from that centre;
  • (b) the assembly operation in the assembly centre took no longer than 6 days; this period shall be considered as part of the timeframe for sampling for testing prior to dispatch to the Union, where such sampling is required by this Regulation;
  • (c) the animals must have arrived in the Union within a period of 10 days from the date of dispatch from the establishment of origin.
3.

Consignments of dogs, cats and ferrets sourced from an animal shelter shall only be permitted to enter the Union if such consignment have been dispatched from an animal shelter:

Reading this document does not replace reading the official text published in the Official Journal of the European Union. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies arising from the conversion of the original to this format.

This text is published under EUR-Lex's own terms of reuse, not a Legalize or public-domain licence. EUR-Lex
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
© European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the European Union). Reused under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Only EU legislation published in the printed Official Journal of the European Union is deemed authentic; consolidated texts are reproduced here for documentation purposes and have been reformatted to Markdown.