Acceptance of hybrid breeding pigs and their germinal products for breeding
Article 24
1. A breeding operation carrying out a breeding programme, approved in accordance with Article 8(3), and, where applicable, Article 12, on hybrid breeding pigs of a breed, line or cross shall accept: (a) for natural service, any hybrid breeding pig of the same breed, line or cross as defined in that breeding programme; (b) for artificial insemination, semen collected from hybrid breeding pigs which have undergone, where required by the breeding programme, approved in accordance with Article 8(3), and, where applicable, Article 12, performance testing or genetic evaluation in accordance with Article 25; (c) for embryo transfer, oocytes collected and used for in vitro production of embryos and in vivo derived embryos conceived by use of semen referred to in point (b), provided that those oocytes and embryos have been collected from hybrid breeding pigs which have undergone, where required by the breeding programme, approved in accordance with Article 8(3), and, where applicable, Article 12, performance testing or genetic evaluation in accordance with Article 25; (d) for the testing of male hybrid breeding pigs, semen collected from those hybrid breeding pigs which have not undergone performance testing or genetic evaluation, provided that that semen is solely used for the purpose of testing of those hybrid breeding pigs within the quantity limits necessary for that breeding operation to carry out such tests in accordance with Article 25. 2. Male hybrid breeding pigs which are registered in a breeding register established by a breeding operation carrying out a breeding programme, approved in accordance with Article 8(3), and, where applicable, Article 12, and the germinal products thereof, shall be accepted by another breeding operation carrying out a breeding programme on the same breed, line or cross in the same or another Member State under the same conditions and quantity limits for performance testing, and, where applicable, genetic evaluation, as applied to its own hybrid breeding pigs. 3. For the purpose of paragraphs 1 and 2, the germinal products of hybrid breeding pigs referred to in those paragraphs shall be collected, produced, processed and stored at a semen collection or storage centre, or by an embryo collection or production team, approved for intra-Union trade in these commodities in accordance with Union animal health law. 4. By way of derogation from paragraph 3, a Member State may authorise the collection, production, processing and storage for use within the territory of that Member State of germinal products of hybrid breeding pigs at a semen collection or storage centre, at an embryo storage centre, by an embryo collection or production team or by specifically qualified staff, approved in accordance with the legislation of that Member State.