COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2026/981

| Official Journal of the European Union | EN L series ---|---|--- * * * | 2026/981 | 27.4.2026 ---|---|--- COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2026/981 of 24 April 2026 amending Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom 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 (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (1), and in particular Article 230(1), Article 232(1), point (b) and Article 232(3), point (b) thereof, Whereas: (1) | Regulation (EU) 2016/429 provides that consignments of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin from third countries or territories are only to be allowed to enter into the Union if the third countries or territories concerned are listed in accordance with Article 230(1) of that Regulation. ---|--- (2) | Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 (2) lays down the animal health requirements that consignments of certain species and categories of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin, from third countries, territories, or zones thereof, or compartments thereof in the case of aquaculture animals, must comply with in order to enter the Union. ---|--- (3) | Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 (3) lays down the lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof, from which the entry into the Union of the species and categories of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin, falling within the scope of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692, is permitted. Those lists and certain general rules concerning those lists are set out in Annexes I to XXII to that Implementing Regulation. ---|--- (4) | More particularly, Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 set out the lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof, authorised for the entry into the Union, respectively, of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds. ---|--- (5) | On 21 April 2026, Canada has notified the Commission of two new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry in the province of Saskatchewan which were confirmed on 15 April 2026 and 17 April 2026, respectively, by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR). ---|--- (6) | On 16 April 2026, Chile has notified the Commission of a new outbreak of HPAI in poultry in the Araucanía Region which was confirmed on 15 April 2026 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR). ---|--- (7) | On 21 April 2026, the United Kingdom has notified the Commission of a new outbreak of HPAI in poultry in the country of Lincolnshire, England, which was confirmed on 17 April 2026 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR). ---|--- (8) | Following those recent outbreaks of HPAI, the veterinary authorities of Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom notified the establishment of restricted zones of at least 10 km around the affected establishments and the implementation of a stamping-out policy to control the presence of HPAI and limit the spread of that disease. ---|--- (9) | Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom have submitted further information to the Commission on the epidemiological situation on their respective territories and the measures that were taken to prevent the further spread of HPAI following those recent HPAI outbreaks. ---|--- (10) | The information provided by Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom has been evaluated by the Commission. In view of the animal health situation in the areas under restrictions established by the veterinary authorities of Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom, it is appropriate to suspend the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds from the areas concerned by the new outbreaks in those third countries in order to protect the animal health status of the Union, taking into account the dates when the outbreaks were confirmed. Therefore, the entries for Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom in the tables set out in Section B of Part 1 and in Part 2 of Annex V, and the table set out in Section B of Part 1 of Annex XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should be amended accordingly. ---|--- (11) | In addition, Canada has provided updated information to the Commission in relation to the epidemiological situation on its territory as regards earlier outbreaks of HPAI that gave rise to the suspension of the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds, as set out in the table in Section B of Part 1 of Annex V, and in the table in Section B of Part 1 of Annex XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404. ---|--- (12) | In particular, on 30 March 2026, Canada submitted updated information on the animal health situation and the measures it had taken in relation to an outbreak of HPAI in poultry in the province of Ontario, which was confirmed on 19 February 2026 by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR). ---|--- (13) | Canada has informed the Commission that, following that earlier outbreak of HPAI, it had implemented a stamping out policy in order to control and limit the spread of that disease, and it had also completed the requisite cleaning and disinfection following the implementation of the stamping out policy in the infected poultry establishment. ---|--- (14) | The Commission has evaluated the information submitted by Canada in that regard and considers that it has provided appropriate guarantees that the animal health situation that had given rise to the suspension of the entry of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds into the Union from the affected zone, as set out in the table in Section B of Part 1 of Annex V, and in the table in Section B of Part 1 of Annex XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404, no longer represents a threat to animal or public health in the Union, and that, consequently, the entry into the Union of those consignments from the affected zone of Canada, from which entry into the Union had been suspended, should be re-authorised. Therefore, the entries for Canada in those tables in those Annexes should be amended accordingly. ---|--- (15) | Taking into account the new HPAI outbreak in Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom, and in order to avoid any unnecessary disruption in trade with Canada, the amendments to be made to Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 by this Regulation should take effect as a matter of urgency. ---|--- (16) | The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, ---|--- HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation. Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 24 April 2026. For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN * * * (1) OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj. (2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 of 30 January 2020 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards rules for entry into the Union, and the movement and handling after entry of consignments of certain animals, germinal products and products of animal origin (OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 379, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/692/oj). (3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 of 24 March 2021 laying down the lists of third countries, territories or zones thereof from which the entry into the Union of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin is permitted in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 114, 31.3.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/404/oj). * * * ANNEX Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 are amended as follows: (1) | Annex V is amended as follows: | (a) | in Part 1, Section B is amended as follows: | (i) | in the entry for Canada, the row for the zone CA-2.328 is replaced by the following: | ‘CA Canada | CA-2.328 | BPP, BPR, DOC, DOR, SP, SR, POU-LT20, HEP, HER, HE-LT20 | N, P1 | | 19.2.2026 | 24.4.2026’; ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- (ii) | in the entry for Canada, the following rows for the zones CA-2.331 and CA-2.332 are added after the row for the zone CA-2.330: | ‘CA Canada | CA-2.331 | BPP, BPR, DOC, DOR, SP, SR, POU-LT20, HEP, HER, HE-LT20 | N, P1 | | 15.4.2026 | ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- CA-2.332 | N, P1 | | 17.4.2026’; | (iii) | in the entry for Chile, the row for the zone CL-2.14 is added after the row for the zone CL-2.13: | ‘CL Chile | CL-2.14 | BPP, BPR, DOC, DOR, SP, SR, POU-LT20, HEP, HER, HE-LT20 | N, P1 | | 15.4.2026’; | ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- (iv) | in the entry for the United Kingdom, the row for the zone GB-2.470 is added after the row for the zone GB-2.469: | ‘GB United Kingdom | GB-2.470 | BPP, BPR, DOC, DOR, SP, SR, POU-LT20, HEP, HER, HE-LT20 | N, P1 | | 17.4.2026’; | ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- (b) | Part 2 is amended as follows: | (i) | in the entry for Canada, the following descriptions of the zones CA-2.331 and CA-2.331 are added after the row for the zone CA-2.330: | ‘Canada | CA-2.331 | Saskatchewan – Latitude 49.69, Longitude -106.09 The municipalities involved are: | | 3km PZ: Assiniboia, Lake of the Rivers, and Stonehenge ---|--- | 10km SZ: Assiniboia, Congress, Lake of the Rivers, and Stonehenge ---|--- CA-2.332 | Saskatchewan – Latitude 52.54, Longitude -108.68 The municipalities involved are: | | 3km PZ: Buffalo and Unity ---|--- | 10km SZ: Buffalo, Cut Knife, and Unity’; ---|--- (ii) | in the entry for Chile the following description of the zone CL-2.14 is added after the description of the zone CL-2.13: | ‘Chile | CL-2.14 | Araucanía Region, Province of Cautín, Commune of Cunco: a circular Zone of 10 km of radio, centered on the outbreak point: latitude -38.91027644, longitude -72.31211001’; ---|---|--- (iii) | in the entry for the United Kingdom, the following description of the zone GB-2.470 is added after the description of the zone GB-2.469: | ‘United Kingdom | GB-2.470 | near Gainsborough, West Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England, GB the area contained with a circle of a radius of 10 km, centred on WGS84 dec, coordinates Lat: N53.45 and Long: W0.73’; ---|---|--- (2) | in Annex XIV, in Part 1, Section B is amended as follows: | (a) | in the entry for Canada, the row for the zone CA-2.328 is replaced by the following: | ‘CA Canada | CA-2.328 | POU, RAT | N, P1 | | 19.2.2026 | 24.4.2026 ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- GBM | P1 | | 19.2.2026 | 24.4.2026’; (b) | in the entry for Canada, the following rows for the zones CA-2.331 and CA-2.332 are added after the row for the zone CA-2.330: | ‘CA Canada | CA-2.331 | POU, RAT | N, P1 | | 15.4.2026 | ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- GBM | P1 | | 15.4.2026 | CA-2.332 | POU, RAT | N, P1 | | 17.4.2026 | GBM | P1 | | 17.4.2026’; | (c) | in the entry for Chile, the following row for the zone CL-2.14 is added after the row for the zone CL-2.13: | ‘CL Chile | CL-2.14 | POU, RAT | N, P1 | | 15.4.2026 | ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- GBM | P1 | | 15.4.2026’; | (d) | in the entry for the United Kingdom, the following row for the zone GB-2.470 is added after the row for the zone GB-2.469: | ‘GB United Kingdom | GB-2.470 | POU, RAT | N, P1 | | 17.4.2026 | ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- GBM | P1 | | 17.4.2026’. | * * * ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/981/oj ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition) * * *