Council Directive 2003/85/ECShow full title

Article 54 U.K. Measures applicable in the vaccination zone during the period from the beginning of emergency vaccination until at least 30 days have elapsed following the completion of such vaccination (Phase 1)

1. Member States shall ensure that the measures provided for in paragraphs 2 to 6 are applied in the vaccination zone during the period from the beginning of the emergency vaccination until at least 30 days have elapsed following the completion of such vaccination.

2. Movement of live animals of susceptible species shall be prohibited between holdings within and out of the vaccination zone.

By way of derogation from the prohibition provided for in the first subparagraph, and after clinical inspection of such live animals and the herds of origin or dispatch of those animals, the competent authorities may authorise their direct transport for immediate slaughter in a slaughterhouse designated by the competent authority and situated within the vaccination zone or in exceptional cases close to that zone.

3. Fresh meat produced from vaccinated animals slaughtered during the period referred to in paragraph 1 shall:

(a) bear the mark provided for in Directive 2002/99/EC;

(b) be stored and transported separately from meat not bearing the mark referred to in point (a), and shall subsequently be transported in sealed containers to an establishment designated by the competent authorities for treatment in accordance with point 1 in Part A of Annex VII.

4. Milk and milk products produced from vaccinated animals may be placed on the market within or outside the vaccination zone, provided that, depending on the final use for either human consumption or non-human consumption, it has undergone at least one of the treatments referred to in Parts A and B of Annex IX. The treatment shall be carried out under the conditions set out in paragraph 5 in establishments situated in the vaccination zone or, if there is no establishment in that zone, in establishments situated outside the vaccination zone to which the raw milk is transported under the conditions set down in paragraph 7.

5. Establishments referred to in paragraphs 4 shall comply with the following conditions:

(a) the establishment shall be operated under permanent and strict official control;

(b) all milk used in the establishment shall either comply with paragraph 4 or the raw milk shall be obtained from animals outside the vaccination zone;

(c) during the whole production process the milk shall be clearly identified and transported and stored separately from raw milk and raw milk products which are not destined for dispatch outside the vaccination zone;

(d) transport of raw milk from holdings situated outside the vaccination zone to the establishments shall be carried out in vehicles which were cleaned and disinfected prior to the transport operation, and which have had no subsequent contact with holdings in a restricted zone keeping animals of susceptible species.

6. Compliance with the conditions in paragraph 5 shall be certified by the competent authority for milk intended for intra-Community trade. The competent authority shall supervise the control of compliance undertaken by the local veterinary authority and in the case of intra-Community trade communicate to other Member States and the Commission a list of those establishments which it has approved for the purpose of such certification.

7. Transport of raw milk from holdings situated within the vaccination zone to establishments situated outside the vaccination zone and the processing of that milk shall be subject to the following conditions:

(a) processing in establishments situated outside the vaccination zone of raw milk produced from animals of susceptible species kept within the vaccination zone shall be authorised by the competent authorities;

(b) the authorisation shall include instructions on and designation of the transport route to the designated establishment;

(c) transport shall be carried out in vehicles which were cleaned and disinfected prior to the transport operation, which are constructed and maintained in such a way that there is no leakage of milk during transport and which are equipped to avoid aerosol dispersion during the loading and unloading of the milk;

(d) before leaving the holding from where milk of animals of susceptible species was collected, the connection pipes, tires, wheel cases, the lower parts of the vehicle and any spillage of milk are cleansed and disinfected and after the last disinfection and before leaving the vaccination zone the vehicle had no subsequent contact with holdings in the vaccination zone keeping animals of susceptible species;

(e) the means of transport are strictly assigned to a defined geographical or administrative area, they are marked accordingly and may only be moved to another area after cleansing and disinfection under official supervision.

8. The collection and transport of samples of raw milk of animals of susceptible species from holdings situated in the vaccination zone to a laboratory other than a veterinary diagnostic laboratory approved for diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease and the processing of the milk in such laboratories shall be forbidden.

9. The collection of semen for artificial insemination from donor animals of susceptible species kept in semen collection centres situated within the vaccination zone shall be suspended.

By way of derogation from the prohibition provided for in the first subparagraph, the competent authorities may authorise the collection of semen at semen collection centres within the vaccination zone for the production of frozen semen, subject to the following conditions:

(a) it is ensured that the semen collected during the period referred to in paragraph 1 is stored separately for at least 30 days, and

(b) prior to dispatch of the semen:

(1)

either the donor animal has not been vaccinated and the conditions of Article 28(3)(b) and (c) apply, or

(2)

the donor animal has been vaccinated following a negative test for antibodies against foot-and-mouth disease virus carried out prior to vaccination; and

(i)

a negative result has been achieved in a test for the detection of either virus or viral genome or an approved test for the detection of antibody against non-structural proteins, carried out at the end of the quarantine period for the semen on samples taken from all animals of susceptible species present at that time on the semen collection centre, and

(ii)

the semen complies with the conditions of Article 4(3) of Chapter II of Directive 88/407/EEC.

10. Collection of ova and embryos from donor animals shall be prohibited.

11. The placing on the market of products of animal origin other than those referred to in paragraphs 9 and 10 shall be subject to the conditions provided for in Articles 30, 31, 32 and 41.