(1)

Regulation (EU) 2017/625 lays down general rules for official controls performed by the competent authority for the verification of compliance with rules in a number of areas, including animal health, on a risk basis and with appropriate frequencies. That Regulation also lays down methods and techniques for official controls, which include, among others, inspections of premises, animals and goods under the control of operators.

(2)

Regulation (EU) 2017/625 provides for uniform practical arrangements for the performance of official controls regarding uniform minimum frequencies of official controls to be laid down, where necessary to respond to specific hazards and risks to animal health and to verify compliance with disease prevention and control measures.

(3)

Before the entry into application of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2), a number of legal acts on animal health laid down rules for minimum frequencies for official controls, in particular inspections. Regulation (EU) 2016/429 repealed those legal acts with effect from 21 April 2021.

(4)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 (3) lays down requirements for approval, among others, of hatcheries and establishments keeping poultry, establishments for assembly operations for ungulates and poultry, assembly centres of dogs, cats and ferrets, animal shelters for dogs, cats and ferrets, control posts, environmentally isolated production establishments for bumble bees, quarantine establishments and confined establishments of terrestrial animals.

(5)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/686 (4) lays down requirements for approval of germinal product establishments for bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine and equine animals from which germinal products of those animals may be moved to another Member State.

(6)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/691 (5) lays down requirements for approval of certain aquaculture establishments and groups of aquaculture establishments keeping aquatic animals posing a significant animal health risk.

(7)

It is important that the competent authority verifies by way of regular official controls, in particular by way of inspections referred to in Article 14, point (b), of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, that the animals and germinal products are continued to be kept and produced under the uniform approval conditions for establishments, that are intended to mitigate risks and hazards associated with diseases listed in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and with emerging diseases. To respond to those uniform hazards and risks to human and animal health posed by those diseases, uniform minimum frequencies for inspections in certain approved establishments should be laid down in this Regulation.

(8)

For approved germinal product establishments any uniform minimum frequency for inspections should take into account the non-seasonal nature of collecting semen of bovine and porcine animals.

(9)

Any uniform minimum frequency for inspections in certain approved aquaculture establishments and approved groups of aquaculture establishments should take into account the risk ranking of that establishment or group of establishments in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 (6).

(10)

As regards identification and registration of certain animals, Commission Regulations (EC) No 1082/2003 (7) and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1505/2006 (8) lay down the minimum level of controls or checks to be carried out in establishments keeping bovine, ovine and caprine animals each year as well as the number of animals to be inspected in each of those establishment.

(11)

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 also lays down detailed requirements for the identification and registration of bovine, ovine and caprine animals to ensure their traceability.

(12)

Bovine, ovine or caprine animals that are not identified or registered in accordance with the requirements laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 may play a role in spreading diseases listed in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and in emerging diseases. To mitigate that uniform hazard and risk to human and animal health, to regularly verify compliance of operators with the requirements laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 and to ensure the uniform implementation of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, uniform minimum frequencies for inspections during the performance of official controls on identification and registration of bovine, ovine, and caprine animals should be laid down.

(13)

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 did not explicitly repeal Regulations (EC) No 1082/2003 and (EC) No 1505/2006. To ensure legal certainty, this Regulation should repeal those Regulations.

(14)

The rules laid down in this Regulation should apply to the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland, in accordance with Article 5(4) of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community in conjunction with Annex 2 to that Protocol.

(15)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

(a)

approved establishments for kept terrestrial animals and hatching eggs referred to in Article 1(1), point (a), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;

(b)

approved germinal product establishments referred to in Article 3 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/686;

(c)

certain aquaculture establishments approved pursuant to Article 176(1), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 and groups of aquaculture establishments approved pursuant to Article 177, of that Regulation;

(d)

registered establishments for kept terrestrial animals referred to in Article 1(1) point (a), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 that keep bovine, ovine or caprine animals.

(a)

‘establishment’ as defined in Article 4, point (27), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429;

(b)

‘hatchery’ as defined in Article 4, point (47), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429;

(c)

‘assembly operation’ as defined in Article 4, point (49), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429;

(d)

‘assembly centre of dogs, cats and ferrets’ as defined in Article 2, point (7), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;

(e)

‘animal shelter’ as defined in Article 2, point (8), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;

(f)

‘control post’ as defined in Article 2, point (9), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;

(g)

‘environmentally isolated production establishment’ as defined in Article 2, point (10), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035;

(h)

‘approved quarantine establishment’ as defined in Article 3, point (9), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688;

(i)

‘confined establishment’ as defined in Article 4, point (48), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429;

(j)

‘approved germinal product establishment’ as defined in Article 2, point (2), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/686;

(k)

‘approved aquaculture establishment’ as defined in Article 2, point (10), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/990;

(l)

‘approved group of aquaculture establishments’ as defined in Article 2, point (11), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/990.

(a)

hatcheries and establishments keeping poultry;

(b)

establishments for assembly operations for ungulates and poultry;

(c)

assembly centres of dogs, cats and ferrets;

(d)

animal shelters for dogs, cats and ferrets;

(e)

control posts;

(f)

environmentally isolated production establishments for bumble bees;

(g)

approved quarantine establishments;

(h)

confined establishments.

(a)

at least twice every calendar year, semen collection centres for bovine and porcine animals;

(b)

at least once every calendar year:

(a)

high-risk establishments shall be inspected at least once every calendar year;

(b)

medium-risk establishments shall be inspected at least once every two calendar years;

(c)

low-risk establishments shall be inspected at least once every three calendar years.