The intra-Union trade rules for bovine animals solely govern the movement of bovine animals between EU Member States.

Requirements before and during dispatch:

The animal health requirements for intra-Union trade in bovine animals are laid down in Council Directive 64/432/EEC of 26 June 1964. This Directive, which has been amended several times, harmonises the rules for intra-Union trade in bovine animals and establishes the animal health guarantees needed for the trade in these animals between the Member States but it does not apply to movements within an individual Member State.

• The objective of this harmonisation is to ensure that the same requirements are applied for trade between all the Member States thereby ensuring the safe and free circulation of the animals in the EU territory.
• The Directive lays down precise rules (e.g. prohibition of contact with other animals during the travel, cleaning and disinfection of means of transport, etc.) to be respected during the movement of bovine animals from the holding of origin to the final destination (another holding or a slaughterhouse) to try to avoid any possible spread of serious disease in the EU. These movements may involve the use of approved assembly centres.
• In addition there are rules regarding the health status in relation to animal diseases (e.g. tuberculosis, brucellosis and leukosis) and provisions for tests to detect these diseases to be carried out by official veterinarians. A holding, a region of a Member State or the whole of a Member State may even be declared officially free from one or more of the above diseases to facilitate trade. The lists of Member States and regions thereof declared officially free of bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis and enzootic-bovine-leukosis are set out in Commission Decision 2003/467/EC of 23 June 2003
  
  Moreover, Article 9 of Directive 64/432/EEC provides that a Member State, which has a compulsory national control programme for one of the contagious diseases listed in Annex E (II) to that Directive, may submit its programme to the Commission for approval. That Article also provides for the definition of the additional guarantees which may be required in intra-Union trade.
  
  Article 10 of Directive 64/432/EEC provides that where a Member State considers that its territory or part thereof is free from one of the diseases listed in Annex E(II) to that Directive, it is to present appropriate supporting documentation to the Commission. That Article also provides for the definition of the additional guarantees which may be required in intra-Union trade.
  
  Commission Decision 2004/558/EC of 15 July 2004 approves the programmes for the control and eradication of the infection with the bovine herpesvirus type 1 (‘BHV1’) presented by the Member States listed in Annex I to that Decision for the regions listed in that Annex, and for which additional guarantees for BHV1 apply in accordance with Article 9 of Directive 64/432/EEC. Annex II to that Decision lists the regions of the Member States that are considered free of BHV1 infection and for which additional guarantees apply in accordance with Article 10 of Directive 64/432/EEC.
  
  Furthermore, in accordance with Article 8 of Directive 64/432/EEC, Member States are requested to forward to the Commission, by 31st May each year, details of the occurrence of diseases listed in Annex E (I) to the Directive and of any other diseases covered by the additional guarantees provided for by Union legislation in its territory referred to the previous calendar year.
  
  Report 2008
  The summary of the details provided by the Member States for the year 2008 and animal health status of the Member States (+ Switzerland and Norway) as regards bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis, enzootic bovine leukosis and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis at the end of 2009.
  
  Report 2009
  The summary of the details provided by the Member States for the year 2009 and animal health status of the Member States (+ Switzerland and Norway) as regards bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis, enzootic bovine leukosis and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis at the end of 2010.
  
  Report 2010
  The summary of the details provided by the Member States for the year 2010 and animal health status of the Member States (+ Switzerland and Norway) as regards bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis, enzootic bovine leukosis and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis at the end of 2011.
  
  
• Traceability is a key component of animal health control. Hence animals must be appropriately identified to ensure that when animals are presented for dispatch to another Member State, they can be subsequently accounted for on arrival at the place of destination.
• The Directive provides also for a harmonised veterinary health certificate in which, prior to dispatch, an official veterinarian attests that the animals fulfil all the requirements for intra-Union trade. This accompanies the animal and the movement must be recorded in TRACES. If assembly centres are involved, additional veterinary certification is required.

At the destination

Because there are no border controls for movements between the Member States, non-discriminatory spot checks are carried out en-route and at the destination according to Council Directive 90/425/EEC, as last amended, to ensure that consignments are in compliance with the guarantees provided by the health certificate.

The TRACES tracking system provides an important tool to ensure compliance because it allows the receiving Member State to verify that the consignment arriving at the destination corresponds to that specified in the original veterinary health certificate accompanying the animals from the Member State of origin