L 291/38 Official Journal of the European Union 21.10.2006 COMMISSION DECISION of 20 October 2006 approving the plan for preventive vaccination against avian influenza of subtype H5 in certain holdings in North Rhine-Westphalia submitted by Germany under Council Directive 2005/94/EC (notified under document number C(2006) 4906) (Only the German text is authentic) (2006/705/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, (6)  The measures provided for in this Decision are in Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Directive 2005/94/EC of 20 December 2005 on Community measures for the control of avian influenza and repealing Directive 92[40/EEC (!), and in particular, Article 57(2) thereof, Whereas: (), Germany has recently experienced a high number of positive findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus of subtype H5N1 in wild birds. Outbreaks of the disease have also occurred in a poultry holding and in a 200. (2)  Vaccination against avian influenza of subtypes H5 and H7 may be a valuable tool for disease prevention and control. However, it has not yet been applied on poultry holdings in Germany. (3)  Germany wishes to gather further data on the use of vaccination by means of a large-scale field study. 4  On 24 August 2006 Germany has submitted for approval a preventive vaccination plan to be carried out in three commercial holdings located in North Rhine-Westphalia in the framework of a study aimed at assessing the protective efficacy of an avian influenza vaccine of subtype H5 by applying vaccination to poultry kept under normal field conditions. (5)  The preventive vaccination plan submitted contains the information required by Article 56(2) of Directive 2005/94/EC and is in accordance with a Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animal (DIVA) strategy. In the light of an assessment of the plan and discussions with Germany it appears appropriate to approve the plan. () O] L 10, 14.1.2006, p. 16. accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 Preventive vaccination plan 1. The plan for preventive vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza of subtype H5 to be applied until 30 September 2008, submitted by Germany on 24 August 2006 is approved. The preventive vaccination shall be carried out with an inac- tivated vaccine of avian influenza of the subtype H5N2 in three selected poultry holdings in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany in accordance with that plan. 2. Official surveillance accompanied by appropriate biose- curity measures, as set out in the preventive vaccination plan, shall be carried out in the poultry holdings referred to in paragraph 1. 3. The preventive vaccination plan shall be implemented effi- ciently. 4. The Commission shall publish the preventive vaccination plan. Atticle 2 Measures restricting movements 1. The competent authority shall ensure that: (@) poultry, eggs, poultry carcasses and fresh poultry meat from poultry kept on the holdings referred to in Article 1(1) (‘poultry and other commodities’) are not moved from those holdings;