
COMMISSION DECISION of 18 December 2008 amending Annex II to Council Decision 79/542/EEC as regards the entry for Botswana and Brazil in the list of third countries or parts thereof from which imports into the Community of certain fresh meat are authorised (notified under document number C(2008) 8516) (Text with EEA relevance) (2009/4/EC) 

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/99/EC of 16 December 2002 laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and introduction of products of animal origin for human consumption, and in particular the introductory phrase of Article 8, the first subparagraph of Article 8(1) and Article 8(4) thereof,
Whereas:

(1) Council Decision 79/542/EEC of 21 December 1976 drawing up a list of third countries or parts of third countries, and laying down animal and public health and veterinary certification conditions, for importation into the Community of certain live animals and their fresh meat establishes the sanitary conditions for the importation into the Community of live animals excluding equidae, and the importation of fresh meat of such animals, including equidae, but excluding meat preparations.

(2) Decision 79/542/EEC provides that imports of fresh meat intended for human consumption are only allowed if such meat comes from a territory of a third country or a part thereof listed in Part 1 of Annex II to that Decision, and the fresh meat meets the requirements set out in the appropriate veterinary certificate for that meat in accordance with the models set out in Part 2 of that Annex, taking into account any specific conditions or supplementary guarantees required for the meat.

(3) Botswana is listed in Part 1 of Annex II to Decision 79/542/EEC and has been divided into different territories, mainly according to their animal health status. Those territories are authorised to export to the Community de-boned and matured fresh meat of domestic bovine animals, of domestic sheep and goats, and of certain farmed and wild non-domestic animals (fresh meat).

(4) On 20 October 2008, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was suspected in a farm located in the district of Ghanzi, situated in the veterinary disease control zone 12 of Botswana. That veterinary disease control zone is at present authorised to export fresh meat to the Community. As soon as the outbreak was confirmed, the competent authority in Botswana suspended exports of fresh meat to the Community.

(5) In view of these circumstances, imports into the Community of fresh meat from the veterinary disease control zone 12 of Botswana should no longer be authorised. Considering that the competent authority in Botswana has provided sufficient guarantees regarding the measures put in place to control the spread of the disease and considering that the affected areas are completely fenced it is appropriate to limit that restriction to veterinary disease control zone 12 only.

(6) The description of the territory BR-1 of Brazil excludes from the territories authorised to export fresh de-boned and matured bovine meat into the Community an area called the ‘high surveillance zone’. This consists of a strip of 15 km along the border with Paraguay that covers a number of municipalities, including Caracol and Antônio João that were not included. It is therefore opportune to add these two municipalities to the description of the ‘high surveillance zone’ in the territory BR-1.

(7) Part 1 of Annex II to Decision 79/542/EEC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(8) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1 
Part 1 of Annex II to Decision 79/542/EEC is replaced by the text in the Annex to this Decision.
Article 2 
This Decision shall apply from 20 December 2008.
Article 3 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 18 December 2008.
For the Commission
Androulla VASSILIOU
Member of the Commission
ANNEX

'

PART 1List of third countries or parts thereofCountry Code of Territory Description of territory Veterinary certificate Specific conditions Closing date Opening date
Model(s) SG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
AL — Albania AL-0 Whole country —    
AR — Argentina AR-0 Whole country EQU    
AR-1 The provinces of: Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Corrientes (except the departments of Berón de Astrada, Capital, Empedrado, General Paz, Itati, Mbucuruyá, San Cosme and San Luís del Palmar), Entre Ríos, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, part of Neuquén (excluding territory included in AR-4), part of Río Negro (excluding territory included in AR-4), San Juan, San Luis, Santa Fe, Tucuman, Cordoba, La Pampa, Santiago del Estero, Chaco Formosa, Jujuy and Salta, excluding the buffer area of 25 km from the border with Bolivia and Paraguay that extends from the Santa Catalina District in the Province of Jujuy, to the Laishi District in the Province of Formosa BOV A 1  18 March 2005
RUF A 1  1 December 2007
AR-2 Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego BOV, OVI, RUW, RUF    1 March 2002
AR-3 Corrientes: the departments of Berón de Astrada, Capital, Empedrado, General Paz, Itati, Mbucuruyá, San Cosme and San Luís del Palmar BOVRUF A 1  1 December 2007
AR-4 Part of Río Negro (except: in Avellaneda the zone located north of the Provincial road 7 and east of the Provincial road 250, in Conesa the zone located east of the Provincial road 2, in El Cuy the zone located north of the Provincial road 7 from its intersection with the Provincial road 66 to the border with the Department of Avellaneda, and in San Antonio the zone located east of the Provincial roads 250 and 2), part of Neuquén (except in Confluencia the zone located east of the Provincial road 17, and in Picun Leufú the zone located east of the Provincial road 17) BOV, OVI, RUW, RUF    1 August 2008
AU — Australia AU-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, POR, EQU, RUF, RUW, SUF, SUW    
BA — Bosnia Herzegovina BA-0 Whole country —    
BH — Bahrain BH-0 Whole country —    
BR — Brazil BR-0 Whole country EQU    
BR-1 State of Minas Gerais, State of Espírito Santo, State of Goiás, State of Mato Grosso, State of Rio Grande Do Sul, State of Mato Grosso Do Sul (except for the designated high surveillance zone of 15 km from the external borders in the municipalities of Porto Mutinho, Caracol, Bela Vista, Antônio João, Ponta Porã, Aral Moreira, Coronel Sapucaia, Paranhos, Sete Quedas, Japora', and Mundo Novo and the designated high surveillance zone in the municipalities of Corumbá and Ladário) BOV A and H 1  1 December 2008
BR-2 State of Santa Catarina BOV A and H 1  31 January 2008
BR-3 States of Paraná and São Paulo BOV A and H 1  1 August 2008
BW — Botswana BW-0 Whole country EQU, EQW    
BW-1 The veterinary disease control zones 3c, 4b, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 18 BOV, OVI, RUF, RUW F 1  1 December 2007
BW-2 The veterinary disease control zones 10, 11, 13 and 14 BOV, OVI, RUF, RUW F 1  7 March 2002
BW-3 The veterinary disease control zone 12 BOV, OVI, RUF, RUW F 1 20 October 2008 
BY — Belarus BY-0 Whole country —    
BZ — Belize BZ-0 Whole country BOV, EQU    
CA — Canada CA-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, POR, EQU, SUF, SUW RUF, RUW G   
CH — Switzerland CH-0 Whole country *    
CL — Chile CL-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, POR, EQU, RUF, RUW, SUF    
CN — China CN-0 Whole country —    
CO — Colombia CO-0 Whole country EQU    
CR — Costa Rica CR-0 Whole country BOV, EQU    
CU — Cuba CU-0 Whole country BOV, EQU    
DZ — Algeria DZ-0 Whole country —    
ET — Ethiopia ET-0 Whole country —    
FK — Falkland Islands FK-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, EQU    
GL — Greenland GL-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, EQU, RUF, RUW    
GT — Guatemala GT-0 Whole country BOV, EQU    
HK — Hong Kong HK-0 Whole country —    
HN — Honduras HN-0 Whole country BOV, EQU    
HR — Croatia HR-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, EQU, RUF, RUW    
IL — Israel IL-0 Whole country —    
IN — India IN-0 Whole country —    
IS — Iceland IS-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, EQU, RUF, RUW    
KE — Kenya KE-0 Whole country —    
MA — Morocco MA-0 Whole country EQU    
ME — Montenegro ME-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, EQU    
MG — Madagascar MG-0 Whole country —    
MK — Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia MK-0 Whole country OVI, EQU    
MU — Mauritius MU-0 Whole country —    
MX — Mexico MX-0 Whole country BOV, EQU    
NA — Namibia NA-0 Whole country EQU, EQW    
NA-1 South of the cordon fences which extend from Palgrave Point in the west to Gam in the east BOV, OVI, RUF, RUW F 1  
NC — New Caledonia NC-0 Whole country BOV, RUF, RUW    
NI — Nicaragua NI-0 Whole country —    
NZ — New Zealand NZ-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, POR, EQU, RUF, RUW, SUF, SUW    
PA — Panama PA-0 Whole country BOV, EQU    
PY — Paraguay PY-0 Whole country EQU    
PY-1 Whole country except for the designated high surveillance zone of 15 km from the external borders BOV A 1  1 August 2008
RS — Serbia RS-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, EQU    
RU — Russian Federation RU-0 Whole country —    
RU-1 Region of Murmansk, Yamolo-Nenets autonomous area RUF    
SV — El Salvador SV-0 Whole country —    
SZ — Swaziland SZ-0 Whole country EQU, EQW    
SZ-1 Area west of the “red line” fences which extends northwards from the river Usutu to the frontier with South Africa west of Nkalashane BOV, RUF, RUW F 1  
SZ-2 The veterinary foot-and-mouth surveillance and vaccination control areas as gazetted as a Statutory Instrument under legal notice number 51 of 2001 BOV, RUF, RUW F 1  4 August 2003
TH — Thailand TH-0 Whole country —    
TN — Tunisia TN-0 Whole country —    
TR — Turkey TR-0 Whole country —    
TR-1 The provinces of Amasya, Ankara, Aydin, Balikesir, Bursa, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Izmir, Kastamonu, Kutahya, Manisa, Usak, Yozgat and Kirikkale EQU    
UA — Ukraine UA-0 Whole country —    
US — United States US-0 Whole country BOV, OVI, POR, EQU, SUF, SUW, RUF, RUW G   
UY — Uruguay UY-0 Whole country EQU    
BOV A 1  1 November 2001
OVI A 1  
ZA — South Africa ZA-0 Whole country EQU, EQW    
ZA-1 The whole country except:
— the part of the foot-and-mouth disease control area situated in the veterinary regions of Mpumalanga and Northern provinces, in the district of Ingwavuma of the veterinary region of Natal and in the border area with Botswana east of longitude 28°, and
— the district of Camperdown, in the province of KwaZuluNatal BOV, OVI, RUF, RUW F 1  
ZW — Zimbabwe ZW-0 Whole country —    





*Certificates in accordance with the agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on trade in agricultural products (OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 132).—No certificate laid down and fresh meat imports are prohibited (except for those species where indicated in the line for the whole country).1Category restrictions:
No offal authorised (except, in the case of bovine species, diaphragm and masseter muscles).'
