COMMISSION DECISION of 28 February 1997 laying down animal and public health conditions and veterinary certification for imports of wild game meat (excluding meat of wild swine) from third countries (Text with EEA relevance) (97/218/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 92/45/EEC of 16 June 1992 on public health and animal health problems relating to the killing of wild game and the placing on the market of wild game meat (1), as amended by the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, in particular Article 16 (2) (c) thereof,
Whereas Council Decision 79/542/EEC (2), as last amended by Commission Decision 97/10/EC (3), lays down the list of third countries from which Member States shall authorize imports of meat of wild cloven hoofed game;
Whereas Commission Decision 94/86/EC (4) lays down the third countries list from which Member States are authorized to import wild game meat, as last amended by Decision 96/137/EC (5);
Whereas imports of wild game meat are imports of meat from different species; whereas moreover it is necessary to take into account the fact that the game can be skinned or unskinned, eviscerated or uneviscerated, plucked or unplucked;
Whereas the animal and public health conditions for the imports of meat of wild swine will be laid down in a separate decision for reasons of transparency as, due to the complication with regard to classical swine fever, a number of certificates are required to be established;
Whereas, in addition, it is possible to recognize conditions offering equivalent guarantees;
Whereas a third country may submit a proposal for such recognition to the Commission for appropriate consideration;
Whereas it is necessary to lay down the animal and public health conditions and veterinary certification for imports of wild game meat (excluding meat of wild swine) into the Community for human consumption accordingly;
Whereas considering that a new certification regime is established, a period of time should be provided for its implementation;
Whereas the measures provided for in this decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
1. Member States shall authorize imports of:
(a) meat, excluding offals, of wild cloven-hoofed animals conforming to the requirements laid down in the specimen certificate in Annex A and coming from third countries or parts of third countries listed in column A of the Annex to Commission Decision 97/217/EC (6);
(b) meat, excluding offals, of wild cloven-hoofed animals, deboned and skinned, conforming to the requirements laid down in the specimen certificate in Annex B and coming from third countries or parts of third countries listed in column B of the Annex to Decision 97/217/EC. Third countries and Member States shall ensure that the deboned meat shall not enter the Community until at least 21 days after the date of killing;
(c) wild soliped meat, excluding offals, conforming to the requirements laid down in the specimen certificate in Annex C and coming from third countries or parts of third countries listed in Column H of the Annex to Decision 97/217/EC;
(d) wild leporidae (rabbit and hare) meat conforming to the requirements laid down in the specimen certificate in Annex D and coming from third countries or parts of third countries listed in Column E of the Annex to Decision 97/217/EC;
(e) the meat of wild game birds conforming to the requirements laid down in the specimen certificate in Annex E and coming from third countries or parts of third countries listed in Column F of the Annex to Decision 97/217/EC;
(f) the meat, excluding offals, of wild land-mammals (excluding wild ungulates and leporidae) conforming to the requirements laid down in the specimen certificate Annex F and coming from third countries or parts of third countries listed in Column I of the Annex to Decision 97/217/EC.
2. One of the certificates referred to above must accompany the consignment and be duly completed and signed.
Article 2
This Decision shall apply from 1 March 1997.
Article 3
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 28 February 1997.