Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3145 of 18 December 2024 amending Annexes I, IX, X and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the lists of third countries or territories or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of certain products of animal origin, and correcting Annex XXI thereto as regards the entries for the United States

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 230(1) thereof.

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 provides that consignments of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin must come from a third country or territory, or zone or compartment thereof, listed in accordance with Article 230(1) of that Regulation in order to enter the Union.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 (2) lays down the animal health requirements that consignments of certain species and categories of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin, from third countries or territories, or zones thereof, or compartments thereof in the case of aquaculture animals, must comply with in order to enter the Union.

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 (3) lays down the lists of third countries, or territories, or zones thereof, from which the entry into the Union of the species and categories of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin falling within the scope of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 is permitted. Those lists and certain general rules concerning those lists are set out in Annexes I to XXII to that Implementing Regulation. Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 sets out the general rules, and the lists are set out in Annexes II to XXII thereto.

(4) The United Kingdom has notified the Commission of confirmed cases of infections with bluetongue virus (BTV) in bovine and ovine animals in Great Britain. In addition, North Macedonia has notified the Commission of confirmed cases of BTV in ovine and caprine animals in its territory. Consequently, the United Kingdom and North Macedonia should be required to test donor bovine, ovine and caprine animals with respect to semen, oocytes or in vitro produced embryos for BTV. Annexes IX and X to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 set out the lists of third countries or territories, or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of germinal products of bovine animals and of ovine and caprine animals respectively. Due to the confirmed cases of BTV in Great Britain and North Macedonia, the animal health guarantee ‘BTV-test’ should be inserted in the entries for the zones GB-1 and GB-2 in the United Kingdom and in the zone MK-0 in North Macedonia in column 6 of the table in Part 1 of Annex IX, and in the entry for the zone GB-0 in the United Kingdom in column 6 of the table in Part 1 of Annex X to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404. Annexes IX and X to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(5) Annex XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 lists the third countries or territories, or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of meat products from ungulates, poultry and game birds. The description of the zone ‘BR-2’ in Brazil in the table set out in Part 2 of that Annex, amongst others, refers to the zones ‘BR-3’ and ‘BR-4’ in Brazil in the table set out in Part 2 of Annex XIII to that Implementing Regulation. However, following the amendment of Annex XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404, by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1170 (4), the zones ‘BR-3’ and ‘BR-4’ in Brazil are no longer listed in the table set out in Part 2 of Annex XIII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404. Therefore, the description of zone ‘BR-2’ in Brazil in Part 2 of Annex XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should be amended accordingly.

(6) In addition, the whole territory of Moldova is listed in Annex XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as a third country from which consignments of meat products from poultry which have undergone specific risk-mitigating treatment ‘D’, in accordance with Annex XXVI to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692, are authorised for entry into the Union.

(7) On 21 June 2024, Moldova submitted a request to the Commission to list its zone ‘MD-1’ in Annex XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as a zone authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of meat products of poultry that are not required to undergo a specific risk-mitigating treatment in accordance with Annex XXVI to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692.

(8) The Commission has evaluated the request from Moldova and concluded that, considering the animal health status of zone ‘MD-1’ in Moldova with regard to relevant listed diseases and the guarantees provided by the competent authority of Moldova as regards compliance or equivalence with the animal health requirements applicable in the Union, that zone could be listed for the entry into the Union of consignments of meat products of poultry with an assigned non-specific treatment ‘A’ in column 10 of the table in Part 1, Section A of Annex XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404, indicating that the meat products are not required to undergo any specific risk-mitigating treatment. Annex XV to that Implementing Regulation should be amended accordingly.

(9) In addition, it is necessary to update certain references in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404. Annexes I, IX, X and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should, therefore, be amended accordingly.

(10) Furthermore, Part 1, Section A, of Annex XXI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 lists the third countries or territories, or zones or compartments thereof from which the entry into the Union of consignments of certain aquatic animals of listed species and products of animal origin from those listed species is authorised. In the entry for the United States, in the rows for the zones ‘US-2’, ‘US-3’, ‘US-4’ and ‘US-5’, in column 6 of that list, the reference to a model animal health certificate ‘AQUA-ENTRY-ESTAB/RELEASE/OTHER’ was erroneously deleted by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1727 (5), when it amended that Annex. That reference should be reinserted and Annex XXI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should therefore be corrected accordingly.

(11) Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1727 applies from 1 October 2021. Accordingly, the correction made to Annex XXI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 by this Regulation should also apply from that date.

(12) 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:

Article 1

Amendments to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404

Annexes I, IX, X and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 are amended in accordance with Part I of the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

Correction to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404

Annex XXI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 is corrected in accordance with Part II of the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 3

Entry into force and applicability

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Article 2 shall apply from 1 October 2021.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 18 December 2024.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 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 (OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 379, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/692/oj).

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 of 24 March 2021 laying down the lists of third countries, territories or zones thereof from which the entry into the Union of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin is permitted in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 114, 31.3.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/404/oj).

(4) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1170 of 23 April 2024 amending Annexes IV, VIII, XIII, XIV and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the lists of third countries or territories, or zones thereof, authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of certain animals and products of animal origin, and correcting Annex XIV thereto as regards the list of third countries or territories, or zones thereof, authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of fresh meat of poultry and game birds (OJ L, 2024/1170, 30.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2024/1170/oj).

(5) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1727 of 29 September 2021 amending and correcting Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 laying down the lists of third countries, territories or zones thereof from which the entry into the Union of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin is permitted in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 345, 30.9.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/1727/oj).