
Article 1 

1. This Decision lays down certain protective animal health control measures in relation to the lumpy skin disease confirmed in Greece.
2. In case of conflict, the measures provided for in this Decision shall supersede the measures adopted by Greece in the framework of Directive 92/119/EEC.
3. Derogations provided for in Articles 4, 5, 6 and 7 do not apply to bovine animals vaccinated against lumpy skin disease and products thereof.
Article 2 
For the purposes of this Decision, the following definitions apply:

((a)) ‘bovine animal’ means ungulates of the species Bos taurus, Bos indicus, Bison bison and Bubalus bubalis;
((b)) ‘restricted zone’ is the part of the territory of a Member State listed in the Annex to this Decision which includes the area where lumpy skin disease was confirmed and any protection and surveillance zones established in accordance with Article 10 of Directive 92/119/EEC.
Article 3 

1. Greece shall prohibit the dispatch of the following commodities from the restricted zone to other parts of Greece, to other Member States and to third countries:
(a) live bovine animals and captive wild ruminants;
(b) semen, ova and embryos of animals of the bovine species.
2. Greece shall prohibit the placing on the market outside the restricted zone of the following commodities produced from bovine animals and wild ruminants kept in or hunted in the restricted zone:
(a) fresh meat and meat preparations and meat products produced from such fresh meat;
(b) colostrum, milk and dairy products of bovine animals;
(c) fresh hides and skins of bovine animals and wild ruminants, other than those referred to in point (d);
(d) unprocessed animal by-products of bovine animals and wild ruminants, unless destined and channelled under official supervision of the competent authority for disposal or processing in an approved plant under Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 within the territory of Greece.
Article 4 

1. By way of derogation from the prohibition provided for in point (a) of Article 3(1), the competent authority may authorise the dispatch of bovine animals and captive wild ruminants from holdings situated in the restricted zone outside protection and surveillance zones to a slaughterhouse located in other parts of Greece provided that:
(a) the animals were resident since birth, or for the past 28 days, on a holding where no case of lumpy skin disease was officially reported during that period;
(b) the animals were clinically inspected at loading and did not present any clinical symptoms of lumpy skin disease;
(c) the animals are transported for immediate slaughter directly, without stopping or unloading to the slaughterhouse;
(d) the slaughterhouse is designated for the slaughtering of those animals by the competent authority;
(e) the competent authority responsible for the slaughterhouse has to be informed by the dispatching competent authority of the intention to send bovine animals and notifies the competent authority of dispatch of their arrival;
(f) on arrival at the slaughterhouse, these animals are kept and slaughtered separately from other animals within less than 36 hours.
2. Any dispatch of bovine animals and captive wild ruminants in accordance with paragraph 1 shall only take place if the following conditions are fulfilled:
(a) the means of transport has been properly cleansed and disinfected before and after loading of such animals in accordance with Article 9;
(b) before and during the transport, animals are protected against the attacks of vector insects.
3. The competent authority shall ensure that fresh meat, meat preparations and meat products obtained from those animals are placed on the market in accordance with the requirements provided for in Articles 5 and 6, respectively.
Article 5 

1. By way of derogation from the prohibition provided for in point (a) of Article 3(2), the competent authority may authorise the placing on the market of consignments of fresh meat, excluding offal and fresh hides and skins, obtained from bovine animals and wild ruminants from the restricted zone outside protection and surveillance zones and meat preparations thereof, provided that the fresh meat and meat preparations were obtained from animals:
(a) kept on holdings in the restricted zone that were not under restrictions in accordance with Directive 92/119/EEC; or
(b) slaughtered before 21 August 2015.The competent authority shall ensure that the consignments referred to in this paragraph are not dispatched to other Member States or third countries.
2. The competent authority shall only authorise the dispatch to other Member States of consignments of fresh meat and meat preparations produced from such fresh meat obtained from bovine animals kept and slaughtered outside the restricted zone, provided the consignments are accompanied by an official certificate with the following attestation:'Fresh meat or meat preparations complying with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1500 [C(2015)6221] of 7 September 2015 concerning certain protective measures against lumpy skin disease in Greece'.
Article 6 

1. By way of derogation from the prohibition provided for in point (a) of Article 3(2), the competent authority may authorise the placing on the market of consignments of meat products produced from fresh meat of bovine animals and wild ruminants from the restricted zone outside protection and surveillance zones, provided that the fresh meat was obtained from animals:
(a) kept on holdings in the restricted zone that were not under restrictions in accordance with Directive 92/119/EEC; or
(b) slaughtered before 21 August 2015; or
(c) kept and slaughtered outside the restricted zone.
2. The competent authority shall authorise the placing on the market of meat products referred to in paragraph 1, conforming to conditions of points (a) or (b) of that paragraph, only on the territory of Greece, provided that the meat products have been subjected to a non-specific treatment which ensures that the cut surface of the meat products shows no longer the characteristics of fresh meat.The competent authority shall ensure that the consignments referred to in this paragraph are not dispatched to other Member States or third countries.
3. The competent authority shall only authorise the dispatch of consignments referred to in paragraph 1(a) and (b) to other Member States, provided that the meat products have been subjected to a specific treatment in a hermetically sealed container to an Fo value of three or more, and are accompanied by an official certificate with the following attestation:'Meat products complying with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1500 [C(2015)6221] of 7 September 2015 concerning certain protective measures against lumpy skin disease in Greece'.
4. The competent authority shall only authorise the dispatch to other Member States of consignments of meat products referred to in paragraph 1(c), provided that the meat products have been subjected to a non-specific treatment, which ensures that the cut surface of the meat products shows no longer the characteristics of fresh meat and is accompanied by an official certificate with the following attestation:'Meat products complying with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1500 [C(2015)6221] of 7 September 2015 concerning certain protective measures against lumpy skin disease in Greece'.
Article 7 

1. By way of derogation from the prohibition provided for in point (b) of Article 3(2), the competent authority may authorise the placing on the market of milk for human consumption obtained from bovine animals in the restricted zone outside protection and surveillance zones, and dairy products thereof, provided that the milk and dairy products have been subjected to a treatment described in points 1.1 to 1.5 of Part A of Annex IX to Council Directive 2003/85/EC.
2. The competent authority shall only authorise dispatch to other Member States of consignments of milk and dairy products referred to in paragraph 1, provided that the consignments are accompanied by an official certificate, with the following attestation:'Milk or dairy products complying with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1500 [C(2015)6221] of 7 September 2015 concerning certain protective measures against lumpy skin disease in Greece'.
Article 8 
Greece shall ensure that the fresh meat, meat preparations and meat products referred to in Article 5(1), and Article 6(2) respectively are marked with a special health mark or identification mark that is not oval and cannot be confused with:

((a)) the health mark for fresh meat as set out in Chapter III of Section I of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
((b)) the identification mark for meat preparations and meat products consisting of or containing meat of bovine animals, as set out in Section I of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
Article 9 

1. The competent authority shall ensure that, for any vehicle which has been in contact with the susceptible species in the restricted zone and intends to leave this same zone, the operator or driver of this vehicle provides evidence showing that, since the last contact with the animals, the vehicle has been cleansed and disinfected in a manner to inactivate lumpy skin disease virus.
2. The competent authority should define the information to be presented by the operator/driver of the livestock vehicle in order to demonstrate the required disinfection has taken place.
Article 10 
Greece shall inform the Commission and the other Member States, in the framework of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, of the results of the surveillance for lumpy skin disease carried out in the restricted zone.
Article 11 
Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1423 is repealed.
Article 12 
This Decision shall apply until 30 October 2015.
Article 13 
This Decision is addressed to the Hellenic Republic.
Done at Brussels, 7 September 2015.
For the Commission
Vytenis ANDRIUKAITIS
Member of the Commission
ANNEX

The following regional units in Greece:

— Regional unit of Evros
