Article 15 Rules concerning the responsibility of the competent authority for animal health certification

Before signing an animal health certificate as provided for in Article 216(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, the official veterinarian shall carry out the following checks and examinations in the aquaculture establishment:

1. (a)

   a documentary check of the mortality records, movement records and health and production records kept at the aquaculture establishment; and

2. (b)

   a clinical inspection and where relevant, a clinical examination of:

   1. (i)

      the aquaculture animals to be moved;

   2. (ii)

      any moribund aquaculture animals which are observed in production units other than those in which the aquaculture animals referred to in point (i) are kept;

   3. (iii)

      aquaculture animals from any production unit in the aquaculture establishment where the documentary check has raised any suspicion of the presence of a listed disease or an emerging disease.

By way of derogation from paragraph 1(b), in the case of eggs and molluscs, a clinical inspection may be omitted when a consignment is to be moved from the aquaculture establishment within a period of 4 weeks from the date on which the last clinical inspection was completed, provided that a documentary check as referred to in paragraph 1(a) is carried out within the 72 hours prior to the time the consignment is to be moved, and this documentary check indicates that:

The official veterinarian shall, after completing the checks, inspections and where relevant, examinations provided for in paragraph 1, issue an animal health certificate for the consignment of aquaculture animals or eggs within a period of 72 hours before the time of departure of the consignment from the establishment of origin.

The animal health certificate, as provided for in Article 216(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, shall be valid for a period of 10 days from the date on which it is issued by the official veterinarian.

By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, in the case of transport by waterway or sea of aquaculture animals, that period of 10 days may be extended by the period of the duration of the journey by waterway or sea.