Article 1
Regulation (EC) No 1255/97 is hereby amended as follows: 1. Article 3(3) shall be replaced by the following: "3. The competent authority shall issue an approval number to each staging point. Such approval may be limited to a particular species or to certain categories of animal and health status. Member States shall notify the Commission of the list of approved staging points and any updates. Member states shall also notify the Commission of the detailed arrangements in application of the provisions in Article 4(2), in particular the period of use as staging points and the double purpose of approved premises. The Commission shall present this information to Member States in the framework of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health." 2. Article 4 shall be replaced by the following: "Article 4 1. Staging points shall be used exclusively to receive, feed, water, rest, accommodate, care for and dispatch animals passing through. 2. However, by way of derogation from paragraph 1, Member States may also approve as staging points the entire premises of assembly centres as defined in Article 2(o) of Directive 64/432/EEC and Article 2(b)(3) of Directive 91/68/EEC provided that they comply with paragraph 3 of this Article and of point A.4 of Annex I to this Regulation during the entire period of operation as staging points. 3. Animals may be present at the same time at a staging point only if: (a) they are of the same certified health status, including where appropriate, any additional guarantee granted in accordance with Community legislation; and (b) their health status is certified; (i) either according to the requirements applicable to the category of animals of the species concerned as laid down in the Community veterinary legislation listed in Annex A to Directive 90/425/EEC. Where not otherwise provided by the respective animal health requirements, additional certification shall guarantee that the animals have remained for at least 21 days on a single holding, or since birth on the holding of origin, if the animals are less than 21 days of age, before being dispatched from that holding either directly or transiting through one single approved assembly centre and, in the case of sheep and goats, comply with the requirements of Article 4b(4) of Directive 91/68/EEC; or (ii) in the case of bovine and porcine animals destined for export to a third country in application of Article 2(1) of Decision 93/444/EEC;(6) (c) they belong to the category of animals for which the staging point is approved." 3. Article 5 shall be amended as follows: (a) point (b) is deleted; (b) point (h) shall be replaced by the following: "(h) to notify to the competent authority within one working day after departure of a consignment the information set out in point C.7 of Annex I, to keep a record or database of that information, to store it and to hold it at the disposal of the competent authority for at least three years;" 4. The following Articles are inserted: "Article 6a Any amendments to Annex I to this Regulation which are necessary to adapt it to the animal health situation shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 17 of Directive 91/628/EEC.