The Commission has approved the operational programmes submitted by Finland and Sweden regarding salmonella controls. Those programmes include specific measures for breeding poultry and for day-old chicks for introduction into flocks of breeding poultry or flocks of productive poultry.

Guarantees should be established equivalent to those implemented by Finland and Sweden under their operational programmes.

The detailed guarantees are to be based in particular on a microbiological examination of the poultry to be sent to Finland and Sweden.

In this context different rules should be laid down for breeding poultry and day-old chicks.

Rules should be established for this microbiological examination of samples by laying down the sampling method, the number of samples to be taken and the microbiological methods for examining the samples.

Those guarantees should not be applicable to any flock that is subject to a programme recognised as equivalent to that implemented by Finland and Sweden.

With regard to consignments originating from third countries, Finland and Sweden should apply import requirements at least as stringent as those laid down in this Decision.

The methods described in this Decision take into account the opinion of the European Food Safety Authority.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,