(fra kommisjonsforordningen)

(1) African swine fever is an infectious viral disease affecting kept and wild porcine animals and it can have a severe impact on the concerned animal population and the profitability of farming causing disturbance to movements of consignments of those animals and products thereof within the Union and exports of those consignments to third countries.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 (2) lays down special disease control measures for African swine fever to be applied for a limited period of time by the Member States which are listed, or which have areas listed, in Annexes I and II thereto. That Implementing Regulation lays down rules, among other things, on the listing at Union level in Annex I thereto of restricted zones I, II and III following outbreaks of African swine fever, and rules on the listing at Union level in Annex II thereto, following an outbreak of that disease in a previously disease-free Member State or zone.

(3) Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 was last amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/97 (3) following changes in the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever in Latvia and Lithuania.

(4) Since the date of adoption of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/97, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have notified the Commission of new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals. At the same time, the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever in kept porcine animals has improved in certain areas of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

(5) Changes to the listing of restricted zones I, II and III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 must be based on the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever in the areas affected by that disease, the overall epidemiological situation of African swine fever in the Member State concerned, and the level of risk for the further spread of that disease. Restricted zones are also established on scientifically agreed principles and criteria for geographically defining zoning due to the presence of African swine fever laid out in the Commission Notice on the guidelines on the prevention, control and eradication of African swine fever in the Union (ASF guidelines) (4), as well as taking account of international standards, such as the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and justifications for zoning provided by the competent authorities of the Member State concerned.

(6) In December 2025 and January 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in Osjecko-Baranjska county in Croatia in an area currently listed as a restricted zone III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to an area currently listed as a restricted zone I in that Annex. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals constitute an increased level of risk, which require additional measures to address the risk to animal health. That area of Croatia currently listed as a restricted zone I should, therefore, now be listed instead as a restricted zone II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones I and III should also be redefined to take account of those outbreaks.

(7) Also, in January 2026, two outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the Baranya county in Hungary in an area listed as restricted zone II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to an area currently listed as restricted zone I in that Annex. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals constitute an increased level of risk, which require additional measures to address the risk to animal health. That area of Hungary currently listed as a restricted zone I should, therefore, now be listed instead as a restricted zone II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones I and II should also be redefined to take account of those outbreaks.

(8) In addition, in December 2025, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Mazowieckie, Podlaskie and Zachodniopomorskie regions in Poland in areas currently listed as restricted zones II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to areas currently listed as restricted zones I in that Annex. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals constitute an increased level of risk, which require additional measures to address the risk to animal health. Those areas of Poland currently listed as restricted zones I should, therefore, now be listed instead as restricted zones II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones I and II should also be redefined to take account of those outbreaks.

(9) Furthermore, in January 2026, two outbreaks outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in Podkarpackie region in Poland in an area not listed in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to areas listed as restricted zones I and II in that Annex. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals also constitute an increased level of risk, which require additional measures to address the risk to animal health. In order to ensure territorial continuity, in accordance with Article 6(2) of that Implementing Regulation, this area of Poland currently not listed in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 and affected by these recent outbreaks of African swine fever should, therefore, now be listed instead as a restricted zone II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones I and II should be redefined to take account of those outbreaks.

(10) Also, in January 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in Nitriansky district in Slovakia in an area currently listed as restricted zone II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, but in close proximity to an area currently listed as a restricted zone I in that Annex. These new outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals constitutes an increased level of risk, which requires additional measures to address the risk to animal health. That area of Poland currently listed as a restricted zone I should, therefore, now be listed instead as a restricted zone II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, and the current boundaries of the restricted zones I and II should also be redefined to take account of those outbreaks.

(11) On the basis of the information and justification provided by Estonia, and taking into account of the effectiveness of the disease control measures for African swine fever for kept porcine animals in certain restricted zones III listed in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 being applied by that Member State in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and in particular those laid down in Articles 22, 25 and 40 thereof, and in line with the risk mitigation measures for African swine fever set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, certain parts of the Jõgeva and Viljandi counties in Estonia, currently listed as restricted zones III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should now be listed instead as restricted zones II in that Annex, due to the absence of African swine fever outbreaks in kept porcine animals in those restricted zones III for the past three months, while the disease is still present in wild porcine animals.

(12) Also, on the basis of the information and justification provided by Latvia, and taking into account of the effectiveness of the disease control measures for African swine fever for kept porcine animals in certain restricted zones III listed in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 being applied by that Member State in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and in particular those laid down in Articles 22, 25 and 40 thereof, and in line with the risk mitigation measures for African swine fever set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, certain parts of the Bauskas, Madonas and Ogres counties in Latvia, currently listed as restricted zones III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should now be listed instead as restricted zones II in that Annex, due to the absence of African swine fever outbreaks in kept porcine animals in those restricted zones III for the past three months, while the disease is still present in wild porcine animals.

(13) In addition, on the basis of the information and justification provided by Lithuania, and taking into account the effectiveness of the disease control measures for African swine fever for kept porcine animals in a certain restricted zones III listed in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 being applied by that Member State in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and in particular those laid down in Articles 22, 25 and 40 thereof, and in line with the risk mitigation measures for African swine fever set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, a part of the Panevezio county in Lithuania, currently listed as a restricted zone III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, should now be listed instead as a restricted zone II in that Annex, due to the absence of African swine fever outbreaks in kept porcine animals in that restricted zone III for the past three months, while the disease is still present in wild porcine animals.

(14) Furthermore, on the basis of the information and justification provided by Poland, and taking into account of the effectiveness of the disease control measures for African swine fever for kept porcine animals in certain restricted zones III listed in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 being applied by that Member State in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and in particular those laid down in Articles 22, 25 and 40 thereof, and in line with the risk mitigation measures for African swine fever set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, certain parts of the Zachodniopomorskie region in Poland, currently listed as restricted zones III in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should now be listed instead as restricted zones II in that Annex, due to the absence of African swine fever outbreaks in kept porcine animals in those restricted zones III for the past three months, while the disease is still present in wild porcine animals

(15) Accordingly, in order to take account of this recent development in the epidemiological situation concerning African swine fever in the Union, and to proactively combat the risks associated with a further spread of that disease, the entries for Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should be amended accordingly.

(16) As the situation as regards African swine fever is very dynamic in the Union, when demarcating those new restricted zones, account has also been taken of the epidemiological situation in areas surrounding those outbreaks.

(17) Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of African swine fever, it is important that the amendments made, by this Implementing Regulation, to Annexes I and II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 take effect as soon as possible.

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