Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3239 of 19 December 2024 amending Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for the United Kingdom and the United States in the lists of third countries, territories or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

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

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) ¹, and in particular Articles 230(1) and 232(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.

• (4) More particularly, Annexes V and XIV 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, respectively, of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds.

• (5) The United Kingdom has notified the Commission of five outbreaks of HPAI in poultry in the counties of Norfolk and Yorkshire, England, which were confirmed between 10 December 2024 and 16 December 2024 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

• (6) The United States has notified the Commission of 17 outbreaks of HPAI in poultry in the states of California (4), Iowa (3), Missouri (1), Nebraska (1), Oklahoma (2) and South Dakota (6), which were confirmed between 3 December 2024 and 11 December 2024 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

• (7) Following those recent outbreaks of HPAI, the veterinary authorities of the United Kingdom and the United States established restricted zones of at least 10 km around the affected establishments and implemented a stamping-out policy to control the presence of HPAI and limit the spread of that disease.

• (8) The United Kingdom and the United States have submitted information to the Commission on the epidemiological situation on their territories and the measures taken to prevent the further spread of HPAI following these recent outbreaks of HPAI.

• (9) That information has been evaluated by the Commission. The Commission considers that, in view of the animal health situation in the areas under restrictions established by the veterinary authorities of the United Kingdom and the United States, the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds from those areas concerned by the recent outbreaks should be suspended, in order to protect the animal health status of the Union.

• (10) Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should, therefore, be amended to take account of the current epidemiological situation as regards HPAI in the United Kingdom and the United States.

• (11) Taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom and the United States as regards HPAI, the amendments to be made to Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 by this Regulation should take effect as a matter of urgency.

• (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 V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

Entry into force and applicability

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

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

Done at Brussels, 19 December 2024.

For the Commission

The President

Ursula VON DER LEYEN

ANNEX

Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 are amended as follows:

• (1) Annex V is amended as follows:

• (a) in Part 1, Section B is amended as follows:

• (i) in the entry for the United Kingdom, the following rows for the zones GB-2.332 to GB-2.336 are added after the row for the zone GB-2.331:

• (ii) in the entry for the United States, the following rows for the zones US-2.743 to US-2.759 are added after the row for the zone US-2.742:

• (b) Part 2 is amended as follows:

• (i) in the entry for the United Kingdom, the following descriptions of the zones GB-2.332 to GB-2.336 are added after the description of the zone GB-2.331:

• (ii) in the entry for the United States, the following descriptions of the zones US-2.743 to US-2.759 are added after the description of the zone US-2.742:

• (2) in Annex XIV, in Part 1, Section B is amended as follows:

• (a) in the entry for the United Kingdom, the following rows for the zones GB-2.332 to GB-2.336 are added after the rows for the zone GB-2.331:

• (b) in the entry for the United States, the following rows for zones US-2.743 to US-2.759 are added after the rows for the zone US-2.742:

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2024/3239/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)