The laboratories and establishments handling live foot-and-mouth disease virus must meet or exceed the minimum requirements laid down in the ‘Minimum standards for Laboratories working with foot-and-mouth virus in vitro and in vivo’ established by the European Commission for the control of foot-and-mouth disease, 26th session, Rome, April 1985, as modified in 1993.

The laboratories and establishments handling live foot-and-mouth disease virus must be subject to at least two inspections within five years, with one of the inspections being carried out unannounced.

• one expert from the Commission,

• one expert in foot-and-mouth disease,

• one independent expert for questions of bio-security in laboratories working with microbiological hazards.

The inspection team shall submit a report to the Commission and the Member States in accordance with Decision 98/139/EC.