(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 Delegated Regulation 2020/687 (2) supplements the rules for the control of the listed diseases referred to in Article 9(1), points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, and defined as category A, B and C diseases in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882. In particular, Articles 63 to 66 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 provide for certain measures to be taken in the event of an official confirmation of an outbreak of a category A disease in wild animals, including African swine fever in wild porcine animals. Notably, those provisions provide for the establishment of an infected zone and prohibitions on movements of wild animals of listed species and products of animal origin thereof.

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 (3) 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 of areas established as infected zone or restricted zone, comprising protection and surveillance zones, following an outbreak of that disease in a previously disease-free Member State or zone.

(4) Also, in the case of an outbreak of African swine fever in wild porcine animals in a Member State, Article 3, point (b), of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 provides for the establishment of an infected zone by the competent authority of that Member State, in accordance with Article 63 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687.

(5) Annexes I and II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 were last amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/568 (4) following changes in the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever Croatia, Hungary, Germany and Poland as well as the confirmation of the presence of that disease in a disease free area in Poland.

(6) Poland informed the Commission of the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever on its territory following the confirmation of an outbreak of that disease in a wild porcine animal in the Zachodniopomorskie region, on 10 March 2026, in an area that was previously free of that disease. The competent authority of that Member State established an infected zone in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, where the general disease control measures laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 are applied, in order to prevent the further spread of that disease.

(7) In the case of a first outbreak of African swine fever in wild porcine animals in a previously disease-free Member State or zone, Article 6(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 provides for the listing of that area as an infected zone in Part A of Annex II to that Implementing Regulation. Consequently, the infected zone established by the competent authority of Poland in the Zachodniopomorskie region should be listed in Part A of Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594.

(8) 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) , 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.

(9) Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 was last amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/568 following changes in the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever in Croatia, Hungary, and Poland.

(10) Since the date of adoption of that Implementing Regulation amending Annex I to Implementing Regulation 2023/594, Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Poland 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 wild porcine animals in certain areas of Italy and the epidemiological situation as regards African swine fever in kept porcine animals in Lithuania have improved.

(11) In March 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany 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, so the areas of Germany currently listed as restricted zones I should, therefore, now be listed 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.

(12) In addition, in February and March 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy 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, so the areas of Italy currently listed as restricted zones I should, therefore, now be listed 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.

(13) Also, in March 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the Vilniaus and Utenos counties in Lithuania 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, so the areas of Lithuania currently listed as restricted zones I should, therefore, now be listed 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.

(14) Furthermore, in February and in March 2026, several outbreaks of African swine fever in wild porcine animals were observed in the Podkarpackie, Świętokrzyskie 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, so the areas of Poland currently listed as restricted zones I should, therefore, now be listed 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.

(15) On the basis of the information and justification provided by Italy, and taking into account the effectiveness of the disease control measures for African swine fever for wild porcine animals in certain restricted zones II 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 64, 65 and 67 thereof, and in line with the risk mitigation measures for African swine fever set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, certain areas in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia and Piemonte in Italy, currently listed as restricted zones II in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should now be listed instead as restricted zones I in that Annex, due to the absence of African swine fever outbreaks in kept and wild porcine animals in those restricted zones II for the past twelve months.

(16) In addition, on the basis of the information and justification provided by Italy, and taking into account the effectiveness of the disease control measures for African swine fever for wild porcine animals in certain restricted zones II 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 64, 65 and 67 thereof, and in line with the risk mitigation measures for African swine fever set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, certain areas in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia and Piemonte in Italy, currently listed as restricted zones I in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should now be delisted from that Annex, due to the absence of African swine fever outbreaks in kept and wild porcine animals in those restricted zones II for the past twelve months.

(17) Also, on the basis of the information and justification provided by Italy, and taking into account the effectiveness of the disease control measures for African swine fever for wild porcine animals in certain restricted zones I 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 64, 65 and 67 thereof, and in line with the risk mitigation measures for African swine fever set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, certain areas in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia and Piemonte in Italy, currently listed as restricted zones I in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should now be delisted from that Annex due to the absence of African swine fever outbreaks in kept and wild porcine animals in those restricted zones I for the past twelve months.

(18) Furthermore, 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 restricted zone 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 Vilniaus 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.

(19) Accordingly, in order to take account of these recent developments 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 concerning restricted zones in Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Poland set out in Annexes I and II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 should be amended.

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

(21) Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the serious risks of 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.

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