HPAI: Restrictions on poultry from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/361 of 17 February 2025 amending Annexes V, XIV and XV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Kingdom and the United States in the lists of third countries, territories or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, of fresh meat of poultry and game birds, and of meat products from poultry

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/446 of 28 February 2025 amending Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States in the lists of third countries, territories or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds

Update

Following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the European Union (EU) has suspended imports of fresh poultry meat from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Poultry products may still be imported into the EU from Bosnia and Herzegovina if they have received a specific risk-mitigating treatment.

The restrictions put in place by the EU in February 2025 on poultry and poultry products were lifted in March 2025 (see Poultry imports from North Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina).

Impacted Products

Poultry meat

What is changing?

Due to an outbreak of avian influenza in the municipality of Rogatica in Republika Srpska, exports of fresh poultry meat from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU have been suspended since the disease was confirmed on 10 February 2025.

Poultry products may still be exported to the EU if the following risk-mitigating treatment D is applied to the products: a minimum temperature of 70°C, which must be reached throughout the meat (Regulation 2020/692, Annex XXVI).

To clarify, Regulation 2025/446 specifies that the suspension of exports is due to the HPAI outbreak in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Annex XIV).

Why?

In order to protect the animal health status of the EU, the EU regularly updates the list of non-EU countries that are authorised to export animal products according to emerging animal health risks in exporting countries .

Timeline

From 19 February 2025, fresh poultry meat may not be exported from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU. Poultry products certified after 10 February 2025 must have undergone specific risk-mitigating treatment.

Recommended Actions

Because Bosnia and Herzegovina has no guarantees that would allow for regionalisation, this suspension of authorisation concerns the whole country. Producers and exporters could engage with competent authorities to encourage and support the process of establishing guarantees that allow regionalisation (regionalisation involves limiting measures to affected regions within the country).

Animal health rules must be strictly applied by non-EU countries in order to be able to export animals and animal products to the EU while avoiding the spread of diseases. It is important that competent authorities and operators work together to monitor animal health and keep diseases under control. Exporters should follow the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), where rules can be found for each disease.

Background

The EU’s Animal Health Law (Regulation 2016/429) provides a framework for monitoring animal health issues and responding to risks. To export products of animal origin to the EU, non-EU countries must be listed for particular species and categories of animals and germinal products (semen, ova, and embryos).

Regulation 2020/692 supplements the Animal Health Law regarding the animal health requirements for imports into the EU.

Implementing Regulation 2021/404 establishes the lists of “third countries” (non-EU countries). 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