HPAI: EU suspends imports of poultry and game bird meat and products from Argentina

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/573 of 10 March 2023 amending Annexes V, XIV and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for Argentina, the United Kingdom and the United States in the lists of third countries authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, fresh meat of and meat products from poultry and game birds

Update

Following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Argentina, the EU has suspended imports of poultry and game bird meat and products from Argentina, except for products submitted to risk-mitigating treatment D. The list of countries authorised to export to the EU with regard to animal health is updated accordingly.

Impacted Products

poultry, game bird, game birds

What is changing?

Due to an outbreak of avian influenza in the province of Rio Negro, exports of fresh poultry meat and game birds from Argentina to the EU have been suspended since the disease was confirmed on 28 February 2023.

Exports of poultry and game bird products can continue if risk-mitigating treatment D is applied to the products (Regulation 2020/692, Annex XXVI).

Risk-mitigating treatment D

A minimum temperature of 70°C, which must be reached throughout the meat:

• water activity (Aw) value not more than 0.93
• pH value not more than 6.0.

Timeline

Date of entry into application: 11 March 2023.

What are the major implications for exporting countries?

Argentinian fresh poultry and game birds meat that has been certified since 28 February 2023 cannot enter the EU.

Argentinian poultry and game bird products certified since 28 February 2023 cannot enter the EU, except those that have been treated with risk-mitigating treatment D.

Recommended Actions

The suspension of authorisation concerns the whole of Argentina as the country has no guarantees that would allow for regionalisation (i.e. limiting the measures to affected regions within the country). Producers and exporters could engage with competent authorities to encourage and support the process of establishing guarantees that allow regionalisation.

Exporters should follow the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, ex-OIE), where rules can be found for each disease.

Background

The EU Animal Health Law (Regulation 2016/429) establishes principles and rules for the prevention and control of certain diseases in animals kept by humans (including farm animals, fish and aquaculture), wild animals, and animal products.

Delegated Regulation 2020/692 supplements Regulation 2016/429 regarding animal health requirements for exports to the EU. Non-EU countries (or part of their territories) wishing to export animal products to the EU must comply with the EU animal health requirements.

These countries or regions must be listed in Implementing Regulation 2021/404 for each commodity to be exported to the EU.

The list is regularly updated, for example in the event of an outbreak of a notifiable disease, or if there is an improvement in the animal health situation in a country.

Resources

Sources