Competent Authority updated response to the report recommendations received 3 October 2017 ANNEX

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1 NSVFSA Answers in red colour 1 To immediately start testing samples of dead pigs from industrial commercial pig holdings for ASF (which are submitted to laboratory under passive surveillance for classical swine fever) to ensure that passive surveillance covers the entire domestic pig population and meets the objectives of the approved programme i.e. monitoring and early detection of the presence of ASF virus in the susceptible population of domestic pigs. Approved programme for ASF ( ). Recommendation based on conclusion No. 54. Associated finding Nos. 35, 37, 39 and 41. Through Service Note no / National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (NSVFSA) has ordered the starting of sampling the dead pigs in all commercial holdings, in the 8-th counties found at risk for African Swine Fever (ASF). In commercial farms, dead pigs will be sampled, all categories of dead and sick pigs with clinical signs which may be attributed to ASF as provided in the ASF Strategy for the Eastern Part EU Rev. June 2017: a. All dead pigs, in case of clinical signs (such as fever or haemorrhagic lesions); b. All sick pigs with clinical signs which could be atributted to ASF; c. Each week, virological testing of at least the first two death (post weaning pigs or pigs older than 2 months) in each production unit. Also, the testing of pigs in commercial holdings was introduced in the surveillance programme on ASF, for the year 2018 and ongoing, in the 10 counties (the number of counties found at risk was extended for 2018 from 8 to 10. Beside Satu-Mare, Maramures, Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 1

2 Suceava, Botosani, Iasi, Vaslui, Galati and Tulcea counties, were also selected Bistrita- Nasaud and Braila counties, having regard that, in some areas, they are found at a distance less that 30 km to borders with Ukraine) In type A holdings and in backyard holdings (non-professional) allover the country are sampled: a. All dead or sick pigs whose signs could be atributted to ASF; b. Pigs whose ante or post-mortem signs rising suspicion at home slaughtering at least within the area covered by Commission Decision 2014/709/EU. 2 Practical arrangements should be put in place to increase the number of dead wild boar reported in the eight at risk counties in order to meet the objectives of the approved programme i.e. monitoring and early detection of the presence of ASF virus in the susceptible population of wild boars. Approved programme for ASF ( ). Recommendation based on conclusion No. 52. Associated finding Nos. 24, 25, 26, and 29. In order to increase the number of dead wild boars reported in the eight at risk counties, and meet the objectives of the ASF surveillance programs, the NSVFSA has sent to the Ministry of Water and Forestry an address (no / ) containing the reports of the audit Mission DG Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 2

3 (SANTE)/ MR and that of the Task Force meeting in Suceava, in March 2017, and underlined the recommendations of the experts and auditors. Also, has been underlined the necessity of reporting all the dead wild boars found, in order to increase the chances of detection the presence of the ASF virus since the first entrance on the Romanian territory. Besides, it was asked once again to the Ministery to immediately enforce the reccomendations of the ASF Strategy for Eastern Part of the EU, and also of the Government Decision no. 830/2016 which approves the national programme for surveillance, prevention and ASF control. Also, through Service Note no / , the NSVFSA has asked to the county sanitary veterinary and food safety directorates to intensify the training and awareness activities with the all categories of personell and stakeholders in huntings managements, in order to increase the number of dead wild boars presented for sampling, Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 3

4 and also the number of hunted wild boars in the counties found at risk. An working group at the level of State Secretary took place between NSVFSA and the Ministry of Water and Forestry on 13-th June 2017, in order to change the wild boars management and aquisition of equipment for the hunting grounds (freezing camera, dumpsters for collecting ABP, eventually small incinerators etc) and it was agreed to ask for Government financial implication. CCA initiated, since 2016, a draft of Government Decision containing the Romanian strategy for ASF control, in which have been introduced incentives for hunters and rangers for reporting wild boars found dead or sick, and for selective hunting of adult and sus-adult females. Also, have been introduced incentives for backyard pig owners, for reporting the dead or sick pigs found in backyard and type A holdings. In 2016, the Government Decision no. 830/2016 it was adopted without those Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 4

5 proposal provisions of incentives, they were rejected by the Ministery of Finances motivating that there are not legal basis for those incentives. In the spring of 2017, the CCA initiated a draft for amending the Government Decisions 830/2016, in view of reiterate the necessary incentives for hunters and for the owners of backyard pigs. The draft was approved in August, but our proposal for introducing incetives was also rejected, therefore, at this moment, we don t have any tool for motivating rangers, hunters and owners of pigs in backyards holdings. At this moment, from political reasons, there are not available incentives for sampling and selective hunting, even they were provided in the Romanian ASF surveillance co-financed programme. 3 The turnaround time for submitting, testing and reporting laboratory results for samples submitted under passive surveillance for ASF should be shortened to meet the objectives of the approved NSVFSA issued Service Note no 25523/ which stipulates that, for passive surveillance of ASF, the period between the reception of the samples and the Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 5

6 programme for early detection of ASF virus. This should include a mechanism for prioritising samples where ASF cannot be ruled out. Approved programme for ASF ( ). Recommendation based on conclusion No. 54. Associated finding Nos. 49 and To enforce the requirement for an up-to-date register of movements (including the date, the origin or the destination, and the identification marks) to strengthen traceability in backyard and type A holdings. Article 4(1) of Directive 2008/71/EC; Articles 54 and 55 of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004. Recommendation based on conclusion No. 70. Associated finding Nos. 66 and 67. release of the Test Report should not be longer then 24h. If the 24h period can not be respected, all laboratories are obliged to inform the person in charge of ASF from the NSVFSA about this. Following the Service Note no 25523/ the time for releasing and comunication of resuls have been improved meantime, all cases of ASF suspicions being delivered in due time. On the other hand, the Institute for Diagnostic and Animal Health follows than, next weeks, to train more local laboratories in technics of identification of ASF genome by Real Time- PCR, in order to enlarge the diagnostic capacity and to shortern the time of releasing results. The NSVFSA issues right now a programme and a procedure of controlling the animal movement in the non-professional holdings and in those of A type. The same time, in the Spring control campaign of 2017, realized by the free practice empowered veterinarians, all farmers were informed about the obligativity of Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 6

7 keeping a holding register (for nonprofessional holding this register could be replaced by the collection of identification sheet: entering of animals by new birth, of movement sheet F2 entrance/exit of animals by solding/bought of sheet F3 declaring of the event dead, disappeared, slaughtered for own consumption). All papers are filled in with the requested data, respective: the date, origin holding, destination, holding code and animal/animals identification code. If the owner does not have these papers, or moves animals without documents, this is penalized accordingly to the legal provisions in force. 5 Collaboration between NSVFSA and the Ministry of Water & Forestry should be strengthened at central and county level to ensure wild boar populations are managed to reach (and maintain) a low wild boar density through e.g. implementation of a total feed ban and targeted hunting of females. SANTE/7113/2015-Rev 4 In the address (no / ) sent by the NSVFSA to the Ministry of Water and Forestry, has been requested for taking decisions in order of a better hunting management and of starting to apply, immediately, the provisions of the "ASF Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 7

8 ASF Strategy for Eastern Part of the EU. Recommendation based on conclusion No. 19. Associated finding Nos. 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10. Strategy for Eastern Part of the EU. The decision of forbidding the feeding of the wild boars during wintertime is difficult to adopt by the hunting associations, having regard that they obtain a serious income by growing the no. of wild boars annually. In the Government Decision (GD) no. 830/2016 which approves the national strategy for surveillance, prevention and ASF control, the provision of forbidding the feeding during wintertime of the wild boars is planned to start after the confirmation of the first ASF case in Romania. Therefore, in order to apply this measure currently, NSVFSA started the process of amending that GD, but it will take some time until it will be adopted by the partner ministries. Concerning the selective hunting of the wild boars, this provision it was already adopted by the Ministry of Water and Forestry by Order no. 428/ , which approves Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 8

9 the hunting quota fore some species of cinegetic interest, where the hunting is allowed, for the hunting season May th May These provisions were adopted for 10 counties found at risk: Satu- Mare, Maramureș, Bistrița-Năsăud, Suceava, Botoșani, Iași, Vaslui, Galați, Brăila and Tulcea. In the Decree No. 428 / of the Ministry of Forestry and Waters reffering to the approval of hunting quota fore some species of cinegetic fauna where hunting is allowd for the hunting season may 2017-may the Art. 9 (2) provides that: on the hunting grounds from counties Satu-Mare, Maramureș, Bistrița-Năsăud, Suceava, Botoșani, Iași, Vaslui, Galați, Brăila și Tulcea found on the border with Moldova Republic and Ukraine, and also on other zones which might be considered at the highest risk, the hunting of wild boars is made from both sexes, in proportion of 50% from each. The hunting of females will be from those adult and sub-adult. Also, measures concerning the hunting management, in accordance with the ASF Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 9

10 strategy for eastern part of the EU is included in the Governmental Decision no. 830/2016 amended, at art. 28, and also in the National Committee for Emergency Situation Decision no. 2, art. 4, EU (hunting quota, feed ban during the wintertime, selective hunting of females driven hunt etc), from 1-st august 2017 with the ocasion of the first ASF outbreak confirmed in Romania. The feed ban became compulsory with the adopting of the Government Decision 583/9 August This measure is applied allover the country. As a matter of fact, in Romania, the feeding of wild boars is foreseen only during winter-time, therefore the provision of the feed ban will start be applied with the cold season During the other seasons the wild boars are not feed. 6 Ensure that the national database for animals, SNIIA, contains all required information including the geographic co-ordinates of all registered pig holdings and a field where sanitary information can be recorded. Article 1 (1)(d) and 1(1)(e) to Commission Decision 2000/678/EC. Recommendation based on conclusion No. 70. Associated finding Nos. 59 and 60. The database contains registered data relating to the geographic coordinates for all commercial farms in Romania, collected by the official veterinarians. For nonprofessional holdings and A type, geographic coordinates will be introduced at the next development of the national database. For 2018, the NSVFSA, will request funds Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 10

11 for the development of the integrated IT system and has in view the developing of more applications in the National Database, through which is desired the introducing of the Health information in the system. 7 Ensure that, in cooperation with County Prefect, competent authorities have plans in place for the disposal of animals following depopulation when rendering is not an option. Annex IV(6) of Directive 92/119/EEC. Recommendation based on conclusion No. 69. Associated finding Nos. 62 and 63. The alternative disposal of animals following depopulation when rendering is not an option was already requested by the NSVFSA to the county prefects by the Service Note no / for identification of the grounds/fields concerning the alternative disposal of SNCU resulted from disease control activities. There is, at the level of NSVFSA, a list of these available grounds/fields for each county already identified. The problem which NSVFSA face to is that the Ministry of Environment does not recognise the right of local authorities of using alternative methods in disease control. This problem was already addressed by the art. No. 6 of the National Committee for Special Emergency Situation no. Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 11

12 2/ , released with the confirmation of the first outbreak of ASF in Romania: Art. 6 (1) The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority in colaboration with other competent authorities, will implement alternative rendering methods in accordance with Regulation (EC) 1069/2009 of 21 October 2009 laying down health rules concerning animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption for work-related risk material (corpses) eradication of outbreaks, Section III, Art. 19, point 1 (e) and in compliance with the provisions of EC Regulation no. 142/2011, Chapter III, Section I, and will create the normative framework for their implementation. (2) The Ministry of Environment shall participate through the competent environmental protection authorities, namely the county environmental protection agencies, the National Environmental Guard through its subordinate structures, within the County Emergency Committee, to identify / establish the alternative methods of rendering, in function by the local conditions, according to the derogations provided by art. 19 para. (1) lit. e) of Regulation (EC) 1069/2009, as well Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 12

13 as the provisions of the Government Ordinance no. 24/2016 regarding the organization and carrying out of the activity of neutralization of waste of animal origin, approved with amendments by Law no. 55 of 10 April Date: 19 October 2017 Page: 13