Division CHAPTER IV Specific requirements for blood and blood products from equidae

The placing on the market of blood and blood products from equidae for purposes other than in feed shall be subject to the following conditions:

1. 1..

   Blood may be placed on the market for such purposes provided that it has been collected:

   1. (a)

      from equidae which:

      1. (i)

         at inspection on the date of blood collection do not show clinical signs of any of the compulsorily notifiable diseases listed in Annex I to Directive 2009/156/EC and of equine influenza, equine piroplasmosis, equine rhinopneumonitis and equine viral arteritis listed in F1Chapter 1.3 of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the OIE, 2019 edition;

      2. (ii)

         have been kept for a period of at least 30 days prior to the date of and during blood collection on holdings under veterinary supervision which were not subject to a prohibition order pursuant to Article 4(5) of Directive 2009/156/EC or restrictions pursuant to Article 5 of that Directive F2, or in relation to holdings in the British Islands, not located in a constituent nation or territory which is not considered to be free of African horse sickness in accordance with paragraph 1A;

      3. (iii)

         for the periods laid down in Article 4(5) of Directive 2009/156/EC had no contact with equidae from holdings which were subject to a prohibition order for animal health reasons pursuant to that Article and for a period of at least 40 days prior to the date of and during blood collection had no contact with equidae from a F3... third country not considered free of African horse sickness in accordance with points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph of Article 5(2) of that Directive F4, reading the words before point (a) as if for the reference to a “Member State” there were substituted a reference to a “third country”, or a constituent nation or territory of the British Islands which is not considered to be free of African horse sickness, in accordance with paragraph 1A;

   2. (b)

      under veterinary supervision either:

      1. (i)

         in slaughterhouses registered or approved in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 853/2004; or

      2. (ii)

         in facilities approved, furnished with a veterinary approval number and supervised by the competent authority for the purpose of collecting blood from equidae for the production of blood products for purposes other than feeding.

2. 1A..

   F5A constituent nation or territory of the British Islands is not considered to be free of African horse sickness if:

   1. (a)

      clinical, serological (in unvaccinated animals) or epidemiological evidence has revealed the presence of African horse sickness in the past two years, or

   2. (b)

      vaccination against African horse sickness has been carried out in the past 12 months.

3. 2..

   Blood products may be placed on the market for such purposes provided that:

   1. (a)

      all precautions have been taken to avoid contamination of the blood products with pathogenic agents during production, handling and packaging;

   2. (b)

      the blood products have been produced from blood which:

      1. (i)

         either fulfils the conditions set out in point 1(a); or

      2. (ii)

         has been subjected to at least one of the following treatments, followed by an effectiveness check, for the inactivation of possible causative pathogens for African horse sickness, equine encephalomyelitis of all types including Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, equine infectious anaemia, vesicular stomatitis and glanders (Burkholderia mallei):

         • heat treatment at a temperature of 65 °C for at least three hours,

         • irradiation at 25 kGy by gamma rays,

         • change in pH to pH 5 for two hours,

         • heat treatment of at least 80 °C throughout their substance.

4. 3..

   Blood and blood products from equidae must be packed in sealed impermeable containers which, in the case of blood from equidae, bear the approval number of the slaughterhouse or facilities of collection referred to in point 1(b).