2025/1318

1.7.2025

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2025/1318

of 27 June 2025

concerning certain interim emergency measures relating to infection with lumpy skin disease virus in Italy

(notified under document C(2025) 4422)

(Only the Italian text is authentic)

(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 259(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Infection with lumpy skin disease virus is an infectious, vector-borne disease affecting bovine animals. Its occurrence can have a severe impact on the concerned animal population and on the profitability of farming, also causing disturbance to movements of consignments of those animals and products thereof within the Union and exports to third countries.

(2) In the event of an outbreak of infection lumpy skin disease virus in bovine animals, there is a serious risk of the spread of that disease to other establishments of bovine animals particularly due its mode of transmission through vectors.

(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 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 (3). In particular, Articles 21 and 22 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 provide for the establishment of a restricted zone in the event of an outbreak of a category A disease, including infection with lumpy skin disease virus, and for certain measures to be applied therein. In addition, Article 21(1) of that Delegated Regulation provides that the restricted zone is to comprise at least a protection zone, a surveillance zone, and, if necessary, further restricted zones around or adjacent to the protection and surveillance zones.

(4) Italy has informed the Commission of the current situation, in its territory, as regards the infection of bovine animals with the lumpy skin disease virus, following an outbreak of that disease in kept bovine animals in the Nuoro province in the region of Sardinia, which was reported on 23 June 2025. Following that report, Italy has reportedly established a restricted zone in the sense of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687; that comprises a protection zone and a surveillance zone, where the disease control measures foreseen in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 are also applied.

(5) In order to control the spread of infection with lumpy skin disease virus, as well as to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade by third countries, it is necessary to rapidly identify at Union level the restricted zone for infection with lumpy skin disease virus, which comprises the protection zone, the surveillance zone and the further restricted zone in Italy.

(6) The size of the protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones, and the duration of the measures to be applied therein, are based on the criteria laid down in Article 64(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, as well as on the rules laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687. The criteria applied for the choice of the size of the protection, surveillance, and further restricted zones, as well as of the duration of the measures to be applied therein, include a consideration of not only the epidemiological situation as regards infection with lumpy skin disease virus in the areas affected by that disease, but also of other epidemiological factors, including geographical parameters and the risk for the further spread of the disease. The chosen duration of the measures foreseen in this Decision has also taken into account the international standards of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (4).

(7) The areas identified as protection, surveillance and further restricted zones in Italy, should therefore be set out in the Annex to this Decision accordingly, and the duration of that regionalisation should be established in Union law. In addition, considering the fact that infection with lumpy skin disease virus can spread through sub-clinically infected bovine animals, it is necessary to prohibit the movements of bovine animals from any location in the protection zone, the surveillance zone or the further restricted zone to a destination located outside the external perimeter of the further restricted zone.

(8) Given the urgency of the epidemiological situation in the Union as regards the spread of infection with lumpy skin disease virus and the need to prevent the disease from spreading from the affected establishment in Italy to other parts of that Member State or to other Member States, the measures laid down in this Implementing Decision should apply as soon as possible.

(9) Accordingly, pending the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, the protection zone, the surveillance zone and the further restricted zone in Italy should be established immediately and listed in the Annex to this Decision and the duration of that zoning fixed.

(10) Taking into account the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards infection with lumpy skin disease virus, this Decision should apply until 10 August 2025.

(11) This Decision is to be reviewed at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Italy shall ensure that:

(a) a restricted zone, which comprises a protection zone, a surveillance zone and a further restricted zone, is established immediately by the competent authorities of that Member State in accordance with Article 21 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687, and under the conditions laid down in that Article;

(b) the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones referred to in point (a) comprise at least the areas listed in the Annex to this Decision;

(c) the measures required to be applied in the protection, surveillance and further restricted zones are applied at least until the dates listed in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

Italy shall ensure that movements of bovine animals from the protection, surveillance or further restricted zones set out in the Annex to a destination located outside the external perimeter of the further restricted zone are prohibited until the dates listed in that Annex.

Article 3

This Decision shall apply until 10 August 2025.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Italian Republic.

Done at Brussels, 27 June 2025.

For the Commission

Olivér VÁRHELYI

Member of the Commission

(1)  

OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj

.

(2)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases (

OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 64

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/687/oj

).

(3)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 of 3 December 2018 on the application of certain disease prevention and control rules to categories of listed diseases and establishing a list of species and groups of species posing a considerable risk for the spread of those listed diseases (

OJ L 308, 4.12.2018, p. 21

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/1882/oj

).

(4)  

https://www.woah.org/en/what-we-do/standards/codes-and-manuals/terrestrial-code-online-access/

ANNEX

Part A:

   

Protection and surveillance zones established around the confirmed outbreak

Part B:

   

Further restricted zone

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/1318/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)