THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Directive 64/432/EEC of 26 June 1964 on animal health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine(1), and in particular the second paragraph of Article 16 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Directive 64/432/EEC lays down the animal health conditions governing intra-Union trade in bovine animals and swine. It provides, inter alia, that bovine animals and swine must be accompanied during transportation to destination by a health certificate conforming to Model 1 or 2 as appropriate, set out in Annex F thereto.
(2) Annex F to Directive 64/432/EEC has recently been amended by Commission Implementing Decision 2014/798/EU(2) in order to, amongst others, adapt a format of the model health certificates to the harmonised model annexed to Commission Regulation (EC) No 599/2004(3).
(3) In accordance with Article 6(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council(4), bovine animals are to be accompanied by a passport based on the information contained in the computerised database set up in the Member State of origin in accordance with Article 14 of Directive 64/432/EEC, unless the Member State of origin does exchange electronic data with the Member State of destination through an electronic exchange system referred to in Article 5 of that Regulation.
(4) In accordance with Article 6(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 911/2004(5), calves under four weeks of age may be accompanied during the movement to another Member State by a temporary passport containing at least the information set out in paragraph 1 of that Article in a format approved by the competent authority of the Member State of dispatch.
(5) However, some Member States notified the Commission on problems related to additional administrative work caused by the obligation to provide in point I.31 of a model health certificate for trade in bovine animals details, such as date of birth and sex of animals forming the consignment. Therefore, and as such information is already included in the identification documents which, in addition to the health certificate, must accompany a consignment of bovine animals, it is appropriate to delete those entries from that point and to amend accordingly the relevant descriptions in the Notes of that model health certificate.
(6) Furthermore, it was also requested by Member States to delete an entry related to sex of animals from point I.31 of a model health certificate for trade in swine as such information was not required in a model health certificate set out in Annex F to Directive 64/432/EEC before amendments introduced by Implementing Decision 2014/798/EU. Therefore, it is appropriate to delete that entry from that point and to amend accordingly the relevant description in the Notes of the model health certificate for trade in swine.
(7) In addition, to further reduce administrative burdens for the official veterinarian, it is appropriate to remove information on the species of traded animals from point I.31 of both model health certificates set out in Annex F to Directive 64/432/EEC as this information is already stated in point I.19 of those model health certificates.
(8) Annex F to Directive 64/432/EEC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(9) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Commission Implementing Decision 2014/798/EU of 13 November 2014 amending Annex F to Council Directive 64/432/EEC as regards the format of the model health certificates for intra-Union trade in bovine animals and swine and the additional health requirements relating to Trichinella for intra-Union trade in domestic swine (OJ L 330, 15.11.2014, p. 50).
Commission Regulation (EC) No 599/2004 of 30 March 2004 concerning the adoption of a harmonised model certificate and inspection report linked to intra-Community trade in animals and products of animal origin (OJ L 94, 31.3.2004, p. 44).
Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97 (OJ L 204, 11.8.2000, p. 1).
Commission Regulation (EC) No 911/2004of 29 April 2004 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards eartags, passports and holding registers (OJ L 163, 30.4.2004, p. 65).