Council Directive of 15 July 1991 laying down the principles governing the organization of veterinary checks on animals entering the Community from third countries and amending Directives 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC and 90/675/EEC (91/496/EEC) (repealed)

Article 6 U.K.

1. Border inspection posts must satisfy the requirements of this Article.

2. Border inspection posts must be:

(a) located at the point of entry into one of the territories referred to in Annex I to Directive 90/675/EEC;

However, where necessitated by geographical constraints (such as unloading wharf, railway station, passes) and provided that in such a case the inspection post is located far from holdings or places where animals likely to be infected by contagious diseases are kept, siting of an inspection post at a certain distance from the point of entry may be tolerated;

(b) located in a customs area enabling other administrative formalities to be carried out, including customs formalities relating to importation;

(c) designated and approved in accordance with paragraph 3;

(d) placed under the authority of an official veterinarian, who shall be effectively responsible for the checks. The official veterinarian may be assisted by specially trained auxiliary staff working under his direction.[F1 The official veterinarian shall ensure that all updating of the data bases indicated in the third indent in Article 1 of Decision 92/438/EEC is carried out.]

3. Before 1 January 1992, and once border posts have been shortlisted by national authorities, acting in conjunction with the Commission departments which will verify their compliance with the minimum requirements set out in Annex A, Member States shall submit to the Commission the list of border inspection posts responsible for carrying out veterinary checks on animals, and shall provide the following information:

(a) nature of the border inspection post:

• (a) port,

• airport,

• road checkpoint,

• rail checkpoint;

(b) nature of the animals which could be checked at the border inspection post in question given the equipment and veterinary staff available, indicating any animals that cannot be checked at those border inspection posts and for registered equidae the operating hours of a specially approved border inspection post;

(c) staff assigned to veterinary checks:

• (c) number of official veterinarians with at least one official veterinarian on duty at all times that the border inspection post is open,

• number of specially qualified auxiliary staff or assistants;

(d) description of the equipment and premises available for carrying out:

• (d) the documentary check,

• the physical check,

• sampling,

• the general tests laid down in Article 4 (2) (b),

• the specific tests ordered by the official veterinarian;

(e) capacity of the premises available to house animals where necessary pending the test results;

(f) nature of the equipment allowing a rapid exchange of information, particularly with other border inspection posts;

(g) volume of trade (types and quantities of animals passing through this border inspection post).

4. Acting in conjunction with the competent national authorities, the Commission shall inspect the border inspection posts designated in accordance with paragraph 3 in order to satisfy itself that there is uniform application of the rules on veterinary checks and that the various border inspection posts in fact possess the necessary infrastructures and meet the minimum requirements laid down in Annex A.

Before 1 January 1992, the Commission shall submit to the Standing Veterinary Committee a report on the outcome of the inspection referred to in the first subparagraph, together with proposals taking into account the conclusions of the report, with a view to establishing a Community list of border inspection posts. That list shall be approved and subsequently updated in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 22.

The abovementioned report shall cover any problems that would be encountered by certain Member States if the shortlisting referred to in the first subparagraph of paragraph 3 were to result in a large number of border inspection posts being excluded at 1 July 1992.

To take account of any such problem, some of the border inspection posts may be kept in operation and granted a maximum of three years to comply with the requirements of this Directive as regards equipment and structures.

The Commission shall publish the list of approved border inspection posts, and any subsequent updates, in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

5. As the need arises, the Commission shall adopt any detailed rules required for implementing this Article in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 23.

Textual Amendments

F1 Inserted by Council Decision of 13 July 1992 on computerization of veterinary import procedures (Shift project), amending Directives 90/675/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 91/628/EEC and Decision 90/424/EEC, and repealing Decision 88/192/EEC (92/438/EEC).