Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 lays down rules for eradication measures to be carried out following the confirmation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) in bovine, ovine and caprine animals.

On 14 September 2000, in its opinion on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-related culling in cattle, the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) concluded that largely the same effect can be reached by birth cohort culling as by herd culling. On 21 April 2004, the Biological Hazards panel of the European Food Safety Authority adopted an opinion in which it concludes that insufficient additional argument exists to modify the SSC opinion. The provisions relating to culling in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 should be brought into line with those opinions.

In the interest of certainty of Community legislation, it is also necessary to clarify the definition of the cohort of a BSE case and the action to be taken regarding cohort animals in order to avoid different interpretations.

In addition, it is necessary to clarify the application of TSE eradication measures as they apply to pregnant ewes and to holdings containing multiple flocks. To address practical problems, the rules should be amended regarding holdings producing lambs for further fattening, the introduction of ewes of unknown genotype to infected holdings, and the time period during which derogations are to apply for the destruction of animals in holdings or breeds in which the frequency of the ARR allele is low.

It is appropriate to introduce restrictions on holdings following the suspicion of scrapie in an ovine or caprine animal in order to avoid movement of other possibly infected animals prior to confirmation of the suspicion.

Testing requirements to permit the lifting of restrictions on infected holdings have proven to be excessively onerous for large flocks of sheep and should be amended. It is also appropriate to clarify the definition of the target groups for such testing.

In line with the current provisions provided for in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 on specified risk material to exclude the transverse processes of the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae from the list of specified risk material, the spinous processes of these vertebrae, the spinous and transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae and the median sacral crest should also not be considered as specified risk material.

Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 should therefore be amended accordingly.

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