30.4.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 110/136

(1)

African swine fever is an infectious viral disease affecting domestic and feral pig populations and can have a severe impact on the profitability of pig farming causing disturbance to trade within the Union and exports to third countries.

(2)

In the event of a case of African swine fever in feral pigs, there is a risk that the disease agent might spread to other feral pig populations and to pig holdings. As a result, it may spread from one Member State to another Member State and to third countries through trade in live pigs or their products.

(3)

Council Directive 2002/60/EC (3) lays down minimum measures to be applied within the Union for the control of African swine fever. In particular, Article 15 of Directive 2002/60/EC provides for certain measures to be taken following the confirmation of one or more cases of African swine fever in feral pigs.

(4)

Hungary has informed the Commission of the current African swine fever situation on its territory, and in accordance with Article 15 of Directive 2002/60/EC, it has taken a number of measures including the establishment of an infected area, where the measures referred to in Article 15 of that Directive are applied, in order to prevent the spread of that disease.

(5)

In order to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade by third countries, it is necessary to identify at Union level the infected area for African swine fever in Hungary in collaboration with that Member State.

(6)

Accordingly, pending the meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, the infected area in Hungary should be listed in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that regionalisation fixed.

(7)

This Decision is to be reviewed at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,