Council Directive 2003/85/ECShow full title

1. As soon as confirmation of a primary case of foot-and-mouth disease in wild animals of susceptible species has taken place, in order to reduce the spread of disease, the competent authority of a Member State shall immediately: U.K.

(a)

notify the primary case in accordance with Annex II;

(b)

epidemiologists. The expert group shall assist the competent authority in:

(i)

studying the epidemiological situation and defining an infected area, in accordance with the provisions laid down in point 4(b) of Part B,

(ii)

establishing appropriate measures to be applied in the infected area in addition to the ones referred to in points (c) and (d); these measures may include suspension of hunting and a ban in feeding wild animals,

(iii)

drawing up the eradication plan to be submitted to the Commission in accordance with Part B,

(iv)

carrying out audits to verify the effectiveness of the measures adopted to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease from the infected area;

(c)

immediately place under official surveillance holdings keeping animals of susceptible species in the defined infected area and shall in particular order that:

(i)

an official census be carried out of all species and categories of animals of susceptible species on all holdings; the census shall be kept up to date by the owner. The information in the census shall be produced on request and may be checked at each inspection. However, as regards open-air holdings, the first census carried out may be done on the basis of an estimate,

(ii)

all animals of susceptible species on the holdings situated in the infected area be kept in their living quarters or some other place where they can be isolated from wild animals. Wild animals must not have access to any material which may subsequently come in contact with animals of susceptible species on the holdings,

(iii)

no animal of a susceptible species enter or leave the holding save where authorised by the competent authority having regard to the epidemiological situation,

(iv)

appropriate means of disinfection be used at the entrance and exits of buildings housing animals of susceptible species and of the holding itself,

(v)

appropriate hygiene measures be applied by all persons coming in contact with wild animals, to reduce the risk of spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus, which may include a temporary ban on persons having been in contact with wild animals from entering a holding keeping animals of susceptible species,

(vi)

all dead or diseased animals of susceptible species with foot-and-mouth disease symptoms on a holding be tested for the presence of foot-and-mouth disease,

(vii)

no part of any wild animals, whether shot or found dead, as well as any material or equipment which could be contaminated with foot-and-mouth disease virus shall be brought into a holding keeping animals of susceptible species,

(viii)

animals of susceptible species, their semen, embryos or ova shall not be moved from the infected area for the purpose of intra-Community trade;

(d)

arrange that all wild animals shot or found dead in the defined infected area are inspected by an official veterinarian and examined for foot-and-mouth disease to officially rule out or confirm foot-and-mouth disease in accordance with the definition for an outbreak in Annex I. Carcasses of all wild animals found positive as regards foot-and-mouth disease shall be processed under official supervision. Where such testing proves negative as regards foot-and-mouth disease, Member States shall apply the measures laid down in Article 11(2) of Directive 92/45/EEC. Parts not intended for human consumption shall be processed under official supervision;

(e)

ensure that the foot-and-mouth disease virus isolate is subject to the laboratory procedure required to identify the genetic type of virus and its antigenic characteristic in relation to existing vaccines strains.