Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1772 of 1 September 2025 amending Annexes V, XIV and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for Argentina 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 of meat products from poultry

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, XIV and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 set out the lists of third countries, 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, and of meat products from poultry.

(5) On 25 August 2025, Argentina notified the Commission of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry in the province of Buenos Aires, which was confirmed on 19 August 2025 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

(6) The lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof set out in Section B, Part 1 of Annex XIV and in Section A of Part 1 of Annex XV to Regulation (EU) 2021/404 specify that the entry into the Union from Argentina of consignments of fresh meat of and meat products from poultry and game birds are authorised. In addition, Section A of Part 1 of Annex XV to Regulation (EU) 2021/404 does not currently require any risk-mitigating treatments for the entry into the Union of consignments of meat products from poultry from that third country.

(7) Due to the risk of the introduction of HPAI into the Union linked with the entry of consignments of fresh meat of and meat products from poultry and game birds from Argentina, and in the absence of guarantees allowing for regionalisation of that third country, the entry into the Union of such consignments from Argentina should no longer be authorised. In addition, the risk mitigating treatment D, in accordance with Annex XXVI to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692, should be required for the entry into the Union of consignments of meat products from poultry from that third country.

(8) The entries for Argentina in the lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof set out in the table in Section B, Part 1 of Annex XIV and in the table in Section A, Part 1 of Annex XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should therefore be amended to take account of the current epidemiological situation in that third country.

(9) Additionally, on 21 August 2025, the United States has notified the Commission of a new outbreak of HPAI in poultry in the state of California, which was confirmed on 15 August 2025 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

(10) Following that recent outbreak of HPAI, the veterinary authority of the United States established a restricted zone of at least 10 km around the affected establishment and implemented a stamping-out policy to control the presence of HPAI and limit the spread of that disease.

(11) On 21 August 2025, the United States also submitted further information to the Commission on the epidemiological situation in its territory, as well as on the measures taken to prevent the further spread of HPAI following that recent HPAI outbreak.

(12) That information has been evaluated by the Commission. In view of the animal health situation in the area under restrictions established by the veterinary authority of 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 the area concerned by the outbreak should be suspended in order to protect the animal health status of the Union, taking into account the date when the outbreak was confirmed. Therefore, the entries for the United States in the tables set out in Section B, Part 1 and in Part 2 of Annex V, and the table set out in Section B, Part 1 of Annex XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should be amended accordingly.

(13) Furthermore, the United States has provided updated information to the Commission in relation to the epidemiological situation in its territory as regards HPAI that previously gave rise to the suspension of the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry, germinal products of poultry, and fresh meat of poultry and game birds, as set out in Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404.

(14) On 15 August 2025, the United States submitted updated information on the animal health situation and the measures it has taken in relation to an outbreak of HPAI in poultry in the state of New Jersey, which was confirmed on 20 March 2025 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

(15) The United States informed the Commission that, following that outbreak of HPAI, it 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 establishment.

(16) 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 has given rise to the suspension of the entry of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and fresh meat of poultry and game birds into the Union from the affected zone, 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 affected zone in the United States from which entry into the Union has been suspended, should be reauthorised. Therefore, the entries for that third country in the table set out in Section B, Part 1 of Annex V, and the table set out in Section B, Part 1 of Annex XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should be amended accordingly.

(17) Taking into account the recent HPAI outbreaks in Argentina and the United States, and in order to avoid any unnecessary disruption in trade with the United States, the amendments to be made to Annexes V, XIV and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 by this Regulation should take effect as a matter of urgency.

(18) 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

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

Article 2

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, 1 September 2025.

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).