Directive 2003/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the CouncilDangos y teitl llawn

Article 4 U.K. General rules on monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents

1. Member States shall collect relevant and comparable data in order to identify and characterise hazards, to assess exposures and to characterise risks related to zoonoses and zoonotic agents.

2. Monitoring shall take place at the stage or stages of the food chain most appropriate to the zoonosis or zoonotic agent concerned, that is:

(a) at the level of primary production; and/or

(b) at other stages of the food chain, including in food and feed.

3. Monitoring shall cover zoonoses and zoonotic agents listed in Annex I, Part A. Where the epidemiological situation in a Member State so warrants, zoonoses and zoonotic agents listed in Annex I, Part B shall also be monitored.

4. Annex I may be amended in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 12(2) to add zoonoses or zoonotic agents to, or delete them from, the lists therein, taking account in particular of the following criteria:

(a) their occurrence in animal and human populations, feed and food;

(b) the gravity of their effects for humans;

(c) their economic consequences for animal and human health care and for feed and food businesses;

(d) epidemiological trends in animal and human populations, feed and food.

5. Monitoring shall be based on the systems in place in Member States. However, where necessary to make data easier to compile and compare, detailed rules for the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents listed in Annex I may be laid down in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 12(2) and taking into consideration other Community rules laid down in the fields of animal health, food hygiene and communicable human diseases.

Such detailed rules shall lay down minimum requirements for the monitoring of certain zoonoses or zoonotic agents. They may, in particular, specify:

(a) the animal population or subpopulations or stages in the food chain to be covered by monitoring;

(b) the nature and type of data to be collected;

(c) case definitions;

(d) sampling schemes to be used;

(e) laboratory methods to be used in testing; and

(f) the frequency of reporting, including guidelines for reporting between local, regional and central authorities.

6. When considering whether to propose detailed rules in accordance with paragraph 5 to harmonise the routine monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents, the Commission shall give priority to zoonoses and zoonotic agents listed in Part A of Annex I.