S.L. 437.95 Art. 23Lists of third countries and parts of third countries from which introduction of aquaculture animals and products thereof is permitted.

(1) A third country, or a part of a third country, shall appear on the list provided for in rule 22 only if a Community assessment of that country, or that part of a third country, has demonstrated that the department provides appropriate guarantees as regards compliance with the relevant animal health requirements of Community legislation.

(2) When drawing up or updating the lists provided for in rule

22, particular account shall be taken of:

(a) the legislation of the third country;

(b) the organisation of the department and its inspection services in the third country, the powers of these services, the supervision to which they are subject, and the means at their disposal, including staff capacity, to apply their legislation effectively;

(c) the aquatic animal health requirements in force that apply to the production, manufacture, handling, storage and dispatch of live aquaculture animals intended for the Community;

(d) the assurances which the department of the third country may give regarding compliance or equivalence with the relevant aquatic animal health conditions;

(e) any experience of marketing live aquaculture animals from the third country and the results of any import controls carried out;

(f) the results of the Community assessment, in particular the results of the assessment carried out by the competent authorities of the third country concerned or, where the Commission so requests, the report submitted by the competent authorities of the third country on any inspections carried out;

(g) the health status of farmed and wild aquatic animals in the third country, with particular regard to exotic animal diseases and any aspects of the general aquatic animal health situation in the country which might pose a risk to aquatic animal health in the Community;

(h) the regularity, speed and accuracy with which the third country supplies information on the existence of infectious or contagious aquatic animal diseases in its territory, particularly the notifiable diseases, listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE); and

(i) the rules on the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases in force in the third country and their implementation, including rules on imports from other countries.

(3) Lists drawn up in accordance with rule 22 may be combined with other lists drawn up for animal and public health purposes and shall be made available to the public.