Council Directive 92/66/EECShow full title

Article 9 U.K.

1. Once the diagnosis of Newcastle disease has been officially confirmed in poultry, the Member States shall ensure that the competent authority establishes around the infected holding a protection zone based on a minimum radius of three kilometres, itself contained in a surveillance zone based on a minimum radius of 10 kilometres. The establishment of the zones must take account of geographical, administrative, ecological and epizootiological factors relating to Newcastle disease, and of monitoring facilities.

2. The measures applied in the protection zone shall include:

(a) the identification of all holdings having poultry within the zone;

(b) periodic visits to all the holdings having poultry, a clinical examination of those poultry including, if necessary, the collection of samples for laboratory examination; a record of visits and findings must be kept;

(c) the keeping of all poultry in their living quarters or some other place where they can be isolated;

(d) the use of appropriate means of disinfection at the entrances and exits of the holding;

(e) the control of movements or persons handling poultry, poultry carcases and eggs and vehicles carrying poultry, carcases and eggs within the zone; in general, transport of poultry shall be prohibited, except for transit by major highways or railways;

(f) a prohibition on removing poultry and hatching eggs from the holding on which they are kept unless the competent authority has authorized the transport;

(i)

of poultry for immediate slaughter to a slaughterhouse preferably located in the infected area or, if that is not possible, to a slaughterhouse designated by the competent authority outside the infected area. The special health mark provided for in Article 5 (1) of Directive 91/494/EEC(1) must be applied to this poultry meat;

(ii)

of day-old chicks or ready-to-lay pullets to a holding within the surveillance zone at which there are no other poultry. However, the Member States, that are not in a position to be able to provide transport of day-old chicks or ready-to-lay pullets to a holding situated within the surveillance zone, shall be authorized, in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 25, to have the said chicks and pullets transported to a holding outside the surveillance zone. The holdings referred to above must be placed under official control in accordance with Article 8 (2);

(iii)

of hatching eggs to a hatchery designated by the competent authority; before dispatch, eggs and their packing must be disinfected.

Movements allowed in (i), (ii) and (iii) shall be directly executed, under official control. They shall be authorized only after the official veterinarian has carried out a health inspection of the holding. The means of transport used must be cleaned and disinfected before and after use;

(g) a prohibition on removing or spreading used litter or poultry manure without authorization;

(h) the prohibition of fairs, markets, shows or other gatherings of poultry or other birds.

3. The measures applied in the protection zone shall be maintained for at least 21 days after the carrying out of preliminary cleaning and disinfection operations on the infected holding in accordance with Article 11. The protection zone shall thereafter be part of the surveillance zone.

4. The measures applied in the surveillance zone shall include:

(a) the identification of all holdings having poultry within the zone;

(b) the control of poultry and hatching egg movement within the zone;

(c) a prohibition on the movement of poultry out of the zone during the first 15 days, except for movement directly to a slaughterhouse outside the surveillance zone designated by the competent authority. The special health mark provided for in Article 5 of Directive 91/494/EEC must be applied to this poultry meat;

(d) a prohibition on the movement of hatching eggs out of the surveillance zone unless to a hatchery designated by the competent authority. Before dispatch the eggs and their packing must be disinfected;

(e) a prohibition on the movement of used litter or poultry manure out of the zone;

(f) a prohibition of fairs, markets, shows or other gatherings of poultry and other birds;

(g) without prejudice to the provisions of (a) and (b), the prohibition of transport of poultry except for transit by major highways or railways.

5. The measures applied in the surveillance zone shall be maintained for at least 30 days after the carrying out of preliminary cleaning and disinfection operations on the infected holding in accordance with Article 11.

6. Where the zones are situated in the territory of more than one Member State, the competent authorities of the Member States concerned shall cooperate in establishing the areas described in paragraph 1. However, if necessary, the protection zone and the surveillance zone shall be established by the procedure provided for in Article 25.

7. Where the epizootiological enquiry referred to in Article 7 confirms that the outbreak is due to an infection where there is no evidenc of lateral spread, the size and duration of the protection and surveillance zones may be reduced under the procedure laid down in Article 25.

(1)

Council Directive 91/494/EEC of 26 June 1991 on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in and imports from third countries of fresh poultrymeat (OJ No L 268, 24.9.1991, p. 35).