COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2024/2778

of 24 October 2024

concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to sheep pox and goat pox in Bulgaria

(notified under document C(2024) 7529)

(Only the Bulgarian text is authentic)

(Text with EEA relevance)

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 259(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Sheep pox and goat pox is an infectious viral disease affecting caprine and ovine animals and can have a severe impact on the concerned animal population and the profitability of farming causing disturbance to movements of consignments of those animals and products thereof within the Union and exports to third countries.

(2) In the event of an outbreak of sheep pox and goat pox in caprine or ovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments of caprine or ovine animals.

(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 (2) supplements the rules for the control of the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and defined as category A, B and C diseases in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 (3). In particular, Articles 21 and 22 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 provide for the establishment of a restricted zone in the event of an outbreak of a category A disease, including sheep pox and goat pox, and for certain measures to be applied therein. In addition, Article 21(1) of that Delegated Regulation provides that the restricted zone is to comprise a protection zone, a surveillance zone, and, if necessary, further restricted zone around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.

(4) Bulgaria has informed the Commission of the current sheep pox and goat pox situation on its territory, following three outbreaks of that disease in caprine and ovine animals, one in the region of Stara Zagora, confirmed on 11 October 2024 and two in the region of Haskovo, confirmed on 16 and 17 October 2024, and, in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, it has established restricted zones, which comprise protection zones, surveillance zones, as well as further restricted zones, where the general disease control measures laid down in that Delegated Regulation are applied in order to prevent the further spread of that disease.

(5) In order to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade by third countries, it is necessary to rapidly identify at Union level the restricted zones for sheep pox and goat pox, which comprise the protection zones and surveillance zones, as well as the further restricted zones in Bulgaria.

(6) The size of the protection and surveillance zones, as well as the further restricted zones and duration of the measures to apply therein should be based on the criteria set out in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, including the epidemiological situation as regards sheep pox and goat pox in the areas affected by that disease and the overall epidemiological situation of sheep pox and goat pox in the Member State concerned by that disease as well as the level of risk for the further spread of the disease. The duration of the measures should also take into account the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). In the current situation, there is a high risk of further spread of the disease, in particular due to the fact that the recent sheep pox and goat pox outbreaks occurred more than a month later and at a distance of more than 80 km from a previous outbreak in Yambol region, and within 6 days and about 35 km apart from one another, suggesting that the disease is circulating in the area.

(7) Due to the severity and urgency of the situation and in order to immediately limit the spread of the disease after this second occurrence in that Member State, it is necessary to ensure that animal movements from the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones to destinations outside the external perimeter of all the further restricted zones do not take place, and to exclude possible derogations from the prohibition to move animals as foreseen in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, for a certain period of time, in order to prevent long distance spread of the disease. In order to prevent the spread of the disease to the areas of Member States, it is important that there are no animal movements from the restricted zones.

(8) Accordingly, the areas identified as protection and surveillance zones, as well as further restricted zones in Bulgaria should be set out in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that regionalisation fixed and animal movements should be restricted. The duration of that regionalisation should take into account the minimum periods for the measures to be applied in the protection, surveillance and further zones in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687.

(9) Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of sheep pox and goat pox and the need to prevent the disease spreading from the affected establishment in Bulgaria to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States, it is appropriate that the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision apply as soon as possible.

(10) Accordingly, pending the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, the protection and surveillance zones, as well as the further restricted zones in Bulgaria should be established immediately and listed in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that zoning fixed.

(11) This Decision is to be reviewed at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Bulgaria shall ensure that:

(a) restricted zones, which comprise protection zones and surveillance zones, as well as further restricted zones are established immediately by the competent authority of that Member State in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and under the conditions laid down in that Article;

(b) the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones referred to in point (a) comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to this Decision;

(c) the measures required to be applied in the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones, are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

Movements of sheep and goats from the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones to a destination located outside the external perimeter of all those further restricted zones as provided for in Point B of the Annex to this Decision shall be prohibited until the dates listed for each zone in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 3

This Decision shall apply until 31 December 2024.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Republic of Bulgaria.

Done at Brussels, 24 October 2024.

For the Commission

Stella KYRIAKIDES

Member of the Commission

(1)

OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases (

OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 64

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/687/oj

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 of 3 December 2018 on the application of certain disease prevention and control rules to categories of listed diseases and establishing a list of species and groups of species posing a considerable risk for the spread of those listed diseases (

OJ L 308, 4.12.2018, p. 21

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/1882/oj

ANNEX

A. Protection and surveillance zones established around confirmed outbreaks

Region and ADIS reference number of the outbreak	Areas established as protection and surveillance zones, part of the restricted zones in Bulgaria referred to in Article 1	Date until applicable
Region of Stara Zagora BG-CAPRIPOX-2024-00002	Protection zone: Those parts of the region of Stara Zagora, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.2579, Long. 25.8028 (2024/2)	6.11.2024
	Surveillance zone: Those parts of the region of Stara Zagora, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.2579, Long. 25.8028 (2024/2), excluding the areas contained in the protection zone	15.11.2024
	Surveillance zone: Those parts of the region of Stara Zagora, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 42.2579, Long. 25.8028 (2024/2)	7.11.2024 to 15.11.2024
Region of Haskovo BG-CAPRIPOX-2024-00003 BG-CAPRIPOX-2024-00004	Protection zone: Those parts of the region of Haskovo, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 41.9698, Long. 25.6564 (2024/3), Lat. 41.96, Long. 25.65 (2024/4)	11.11.2024
	Surveillance zone: Those parts of the region of Haskovo, contained within a circle of a radius of 10 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 41.9698, Long. 25.6564 (2024/3), Lat. 41.96, Long. 25.65 (2024/4) excluding the areas contained in the protection zone	20.11.2024
	Surveillance zone: Those parts of the region of Haskovo, contained within a circle of a radius of 3 kilometres, centred on UTM 30, ETRS89 coordinates Lat. 41.9698, Long. 25.6564 (2024/3), Lat. 41.96, Long. 25.65 (2024/4)	12.11.2024 to 20.11.2024

B. Further restricted zones

Regional unit	Areas included in the further restricted zones established in Bulgaria as referred to in Article 2	Date until applicable
Region of Stara Zagora	Municipalities Radnevo, Galabovo, Opan, Stara Zagora, excluding the areas included in any protection or surveillance zone.	15.11.2024
Region of Stara Zagora	Municipalities Radnevo, Galabovo, Opan, Stara Zagora	16.11.2024 – 20.12.2024
Region of Haskovo	Municipalities Haskovo, Simeonovgrad and Dimitrovgrad, excluding the areas included in any protection or surveillance zone.	20.11.2024
Region of Haskovo	Municipalities Haskovo, Simeonovgrad and Dimitrovgrad	21.11.2024 – 20.12.2024

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/2778/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)