1.Member States shall ensure that the transport and distribution of dung or manure from holdings and premises or means of transport referred to in Article 16 situated in the protection zone where animals of susceptible species are kept, shall be prohibited within the protection zone.
2.By way of derogation from the prohibition in paragraph 1 the competent authority may authorise the removal of manure of animals of susceptible species from a holding situated in the protection zone to a designated plant for treatment in accordance with point 5 of Section II in Part A of Chapter III of Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 or for intermediate storage.
3.By way of derogation from the prohibition in paragraph 1 the competent authority may authorise the removal of manure of animals of susceptible species from holdings situated in the protection zone which are not subject to the measures provided for in Articles 4 or 10 for distribution on designated fields under the following conditions:
(a)the entire volume of manure has been produced at least 21 days before the estimated date of earliest infection on a holding in the protection zone and the manure or dung is distributed close to the ground and in sufficient distance from holdings keeping animals of susceptible species and immediately incorporated into the ground, or
(b)in the case of manure from bovine animals or pigs:
an examination by an official veterinarian of all the animals on the holding has ruled out the presence of animals suspected of being infected with the foot-and-mouth disease virus, and
the entire volume of manure has been produced at least 4 days prior to the examination referred to in point (i), and
the manure is incorporated into the ground on designated fields close to the holding of origin and in sufficient distance to other holdings keeping animals of susceptible species in the protection zone.
4.Member states shall ensure that any authorisation to remove dung or manure from a holding keeping animals of susceptible species is subject to stringent measures to avoid spread of the foot-and-mouth disease virus, in particular by ensuring cleansing and disinfection of the leak-proof transport vehicles after loading and before leaving the holding.