Animal health conditions: imports from third countries of poultry and hatching eggs (amend. Directive 90/539/EEC)

OBJECTIVE: to review Directive 90/539/EEC on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in and imports from third countries of poultry and hatching eggs in the light of the application of harmonised standards to vaccines against Newcastle disease. SUBSTANCE: - the Council's proposal for a directive relates to the health guarantees concerning trade in poultry and poultry meat from a region of the Community where animals are vaccinated against Newcastle disease to regions where vaccinations are not carried out (Denmark, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Finland and Sweden); - the proposal simplifies the health guarantees to be applied. It provides for: . the possibility of importing live poultry and hatching eggs into the Community from third countries following a strict quarantine procedure and in accordance with international rules; . the exclusion of ratites from the exemption permitting trade of small quantities of poultry from unapproved sources since commercial batches of these birds are comprised of only a small number of birds and because the risk of illness is more difficult to quantify in this type of trade. �