Council Directive 2003/85/ECShow full title

ANNEX IV U.K. PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLEANSING AND DISINFECTION

1. General principles and procedures U.K.

1.1. Cleansing and disinfection operations as provided for in Article 11 shall be carried out under official supervision and in accordance with the instructions given by the official veterinarian. U.K.

1.2. The disinfectants to be used and their concentrations shall be officially recognised by the competent authority to ensure destruction of foot-and-mouth virus. U.K.

1.3. The activity of disinfectants must not be impaired by prolonged storage. U.K.

1.4. The choice of disinfectants and of procedures for disinfection should be made taking into account the nature of the premises, vehicles and objects which are to be treated. U.K.

1.5. The conditions under which degreasing agents and disinfectants are used must ensure that their efficacy is not impaired. In particular technical parameters provided by the manufacturer, such as pressure, minimum temperature and required contact time must be observed. The activity of the disinfectant must not be compromised by interaction with other substances, such as degreasing agents. U.K.

1.6. Independently of the disinfectant used, the following general rules shall apply: U.K.

1.6.1. thorough soaking of bedding and litter as well as faecal matter with the disinfectant, U.K.

1.6.2. washing and cleaning by careful brushing and scrubbing of all surfaces possibly contaminated and in particular of the ground, floors, ramps and walls after the removal or dismantling, where possible, of equipment or installations otherwise impairing the effective cleansing and disinfection procedures, U.K.

1.6.3. then further application of disinfectant for a minimum contact time as stipulated in the manufacturers recommendations; U.K.

1.6.4. the water used for cleaning operations is to be disposed of in such a way as to avoid any risk of spreading the foot-and-mouth disease virus and in accordance with the instructions of the official veterinarian. U.K.

1.7. Where washing is carried out with liquids applied under pressure and following the disinfection, re-contamination of the previously cleansed or disinfected parts must be avoided. U.K.

1.8. Washing, disinfecting or destroying of equipment, installations, articles or compartments likely to be contaminated should be included. U.K.

1.9. Cleansing and disinfection operations required in the framework of this Directive must be documented in the holding register or, in the case of vehicles, in the log-book and where official approval is required be certified by the supervising official veterinarian. U.K.

2. Special provisions on cleansing and disinfection of infected holdings U.K.

2.1. Preliminary cleansing and disinfection U.K.

2.1.1. During the killing of the animals all necessary measures shall be taken to avoid or minimise the dispersion of foot-and-mouth virus. This shall include among other things the installation of temporary disinfection equipment, supply of protective clothing, showers, decontamination of used equipment, instruments and facilities and the interruption of power supply to the ventilation. U.K.

2.1.2. Carcasses of killed animals must be sprayed with disinfectant and removed from the holding in covered and leak-proof containers for processing and disposal. U.K.

2.1.3. As soon as the carcasses of the animals of susceptible species have been removed for processing and disposal, those parts of the holding in which these animals were housed and any parts of other buildings, yards, etc. contaminated during killing, slaughter or post-mortem examination should be sprayed with disinfectants approved for this purpose. U.K.

2.1.4. Any tissue or blood which may have been spilled during slaughter or post-mortem examination and any gross contamination of buildings, yards, utensils, etc. should be carefully collected and disposed of with the carcasses. U.K.

2.1.5. The used disinfectant shall remain on the surface for at least 24 hours. U.K.

2.2. Final cleansing and disinfection U.K.

2.2.1. Grease and dirt should be removed from all surfaces by the application of a degreasing agent and washed with cold water. U.K.

2.2.2. After washing with cold water further spraying with disinfectant should be applied. U.K.

2.2.3. After seven days the premises should be treated again with a degreasing agent, rinsed with cold water, sprayed with disinfectant and rinsed again with cold water. U.K.

3. Disinfection of contaminated bedding, manure and slurry U.K.

3.1. The solid phase of manure and used bedding should be stacked to heat, preferably by adding 100 kg granulated quick lime on 1 m³ manure, ensuring a temperature of at least 70 °C throughout the stack, sprayed with disinfectant and left for at least 42 days, during which the stack should be either covered or re-stacked to ensure thermic treatment of all layers. U.K.

3.2. The liquid phase of manure and slurry should be stored for at least 42 days after the last addition of infective material. This period may be extended if the slurry has been heavily contaminated or during adverse weather conditions. This period may be shortened if disinfectant has been added so as to alter the pH sufficiently throughout the substance to destroy the foot-and-mouth disease virus. U.K.

4. Special cases U.K.

4.1. Where for technical or security reasons the cleansing and disinfection procedures cannot be completed in accordance with this Directive, the buildings or premises must be cleansed and disinfected as much as possible to avoid spread of the foot-and-mouth disease virus and must remain unoccupied by animals of susceptible species for at least 1 year. U.K.

4.2. By way of derogation from points 2.1 and 2.2, in case of open-air holdings, the competent authority may establish specific procedures for cleaning and disinfection, taking into account the type of holding and the climatic conditions. U.K.

4.3. By way of derogation from point 3, the competent authority may establish specific procedures for the disinfection of dung and manure in accordance with scientific evidence that the procedure ensure effective destruction of the foot-and-mouth disease virus. U.K.