TITLE I Assistance on request

Article 4

1.At the request, which shall be duly reasoned, of the applicant authority, the requested authority shall

  • communicate to the applicant authority all information, attestations, documents or certified copies thereof in its possession or which it can obtain as prescribed in paragraph 2 and which are such as to enable it to check that the provisions laid down in legislation on veterinary and zootechnical matters have been complied with,

  • carry out any relevant inquiry into the accuracy of the facts notified by the applicant authority and inform it of the outcome of such inquiries including the information that was necessary for such inquiries.

2.In order to obtain this information, the requested authority or the administrative authority which it has addressed shall proceed as though it were acting on its own account or at the request of another authority in its own country.

Article 5

1.At the request of the applicant authority, the requested authority shall, while observing the rules in force in the Member State in which it is situated, notify the applicant authority or have it notified of all instruments or decisions which emanate from the competent authorities and concern the application of legislation on veterinary or zootechnical matters.

2.Requests for notification, mentioning the subject of the act or decision to be communicated, shall, at the request of the requested authority, be accompanied by a translation in the official language or one of the official languages of the Member State in which the requested authority is situated.

Article 6

At the request of the applicant authority, the requested authority shall keep a watch or arrange for a watch to be kept or to be reinforced within its operational area where such irregularities are suspected, in particular:

(a)

on establishments;

(b)

on places where stocks of goods have been assembled;

(c)

on notified movements of goods;

(d)

on means of transport.

Article 7

At the request of the applicant authority, the requested authority shall supply to it any relevant information in its possession or which it obtains in accordance with Article 4 (2), in particular in the form of reports and other documents or certified copies of or extracts from such reports or documents, concerning operations actually detected which appear to the applicant authority to be contrary to legislation on veterinary or zootechnical matters.