Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/203 of 28 January 2025 amending Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for Canada, 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) and (3) 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) Canada has notified the Commission of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry in the province of British Columbia, which was confirmed on 31 December 2024 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

• (6) The United Kingdom has notified the Commission of five outbreaks of HPAI in poultry in the counties of East Sussex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire and Shropshire, England, which were confirmed between 17 January 2025 and 21 January 2025 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

• (7) The United States has notified the Commission of 21 outbreaks of HPAI in poultry in the states of California (1), Florida (2), Georgia (1), Indiana (2), Maryland (2), Missouri (1), Minnesota (1), New York (1), Oregon (1) and Ohio (9), which were confirmed between 9 January 2025 and 17 January 2025 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

• (8) Following those recent outbreaks of HPAI, the veterinary authorities of Canada, 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.

• (9) Canada, 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.

• (10) 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 Canada, 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.

• (11) In addition, the United States has provided updated information to the Commission in relation to the epidemiological situation on its territory as regards HPAI that gave rise to the suspension of the entry into the Union of certain products, as set out in Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404.

• (12) The United States has submitted updated information on the epidemiological situation in relation to seven outbreaks of HPAI in poultry in the states of California and Washington, which were confirmed between 15 October 2024 and 14 November 2024, by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

• (13) The United States has also submitted information on the measures its has taken to prevent the further spread of HPAI. In particular, following these outbreaks of HPAI, the United States has implemented a stamping out policy in order to control and limit the spread of that disease, and also completed the requisite cleaning and disinfection following the implementation of the stamping out policy on the infected poultry establishments.

• (14) The Commission has evaluated the information submitted by the United States, and considers that it has provided appropriate guarantees that the animal health situation that gave rise to the suspension of the entry of consignments of certain products into the Union from the concerned zones, as set out in Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404, no longer represents a threat to animal or public health in the Union, and that, consequently, the entry into the Union of those consignments from the concerned zones of the United States, from which entry into the Union had been suspended, should be reauthorised.

• (15) 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 Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

• (16) Taking into account the current epidemiological situation in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States as regards HPAI, and in order to avoid unnecessary disruption in trade with the United States, 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.

• (17) 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, 28 January 2025.

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 Canada, the following row for zone CA-2.254 is added after the row for the zone CA-2.253:

• (ii) in the entry for the United Kingdom, the following rows for the zones GB-2.343 to GB-2.347 are added after the row for the zone GB-2.342:

• (iii) the rows for the zones US-2.684 and US-2.685 are replaced by the following:

• (iv) the rows for the zones US-2.687, US-2.688 and US-2.689 are replaced by the following:

• (v) the row for the zone US-2.691 is replaced by the following:

• (vi) the row for the zone US-2.699 is replaced by the following:

• (vii) in the entry for the United States, the following rows for the zones US-2.822 to US-2.842 are added after the row for the zone US-2.821:

• (b) Part 2 is amended as follows:

• (i) in the entry for Canada, the following description of zone CA-2.254 is added after the row for the zone CA-2.253:

• (ii) in the entry for the United Kingdom, the following descriptions of the zones GB-2.343 to GB-2.347 are added after the description of the zone GB-2.342:

• (iii) in the entry for the United States, the following descriptions of the zones US-2.822 to US-2.842 are added after the description of the zone US-2.821:

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

• (a) in the entry for Canada, the following rows for the zone CA-2.254 are added after the rows for the zone CA-2.253:

• (b) in the entry for the United Kingdom, the following rows for the zones GB-2.343 to GB-2.347 are added after the rows for the zone GB-2.342:

• (c) the rows for the zones US-2.684 and US-2.685 are replaced by the following:

• (d) the rows for the zones US-2.687, US-2.688 and US-2.689 are replaced by the following:

• (e) the rows for the zone US-2.691 are replaced by the following:

• (f) the rows for the zone US-2.699 are replaced by the following:

• (g) the following rows for zones US-2.822 to US-2.842 are added after the rows for the zone US-2.821:

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/203/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)