Council Directive 2003/85/ECShow full title

Article 4 U.K. Measures in case of suspicion of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease

1. Member States shall ensure that the measures provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3 are carried out where a holding contains one or more animals suspected of being infected or contaminated.

2. The competent authority shall immediately activate official investigation arrangements under its supervision to confirm or rule out the presence of the foot-and-mouth disease and, in particular, have the necessary samples taken for the laboratory examinations required to confirm an outbreak in accordance with the definition of outbreak in Annex I.

3. The competent authority shall place the holding referred to in paragraph 1 under official surveillance as soon as the suspected infection is notified and shall in particular ensure that:

(a) a census is made of all categories of animals on the holding and that, in respect of each category of animals of susceptible species, the number of animals that are already dead and the animals suspected of being infected or of being contaminated, is recorded;

(b) the census as referred to in point (a) is kept up to date to take account of those animals of susceptible species born or dying during the period of suspicion. Such information is produced by the owner on request of the competent authority and is checked by that authority at each visit;

(c) all stocks of milk, milk products, meat, meat products, carcasses, hides and skins, wool, semen, embryos, ova, slurry, manure as well as animal feed and litter on the holding are recorded and those records are maintained;

(d) no animals of susceptible species enter or leave the holding, except in cases of holdings consisting of different epidemiological production units referred to in Article 18, and that all animals of susceptible species on the holding are kept in their living quarters or another place where they can be isolated;

(e) appropriate means of disinfection are used at the entrances and exits of buildings or places housing animals of susceptible species and of the holding itself;

(f) an epidemiological inquiry is carried out in accordance with Article 13;

(g) to facilitate the epidemiological inquiry, the necessary samples shall be taken for laboratory testing in accordance with point 2.1.1.1 of Annex III.