Directive 2003/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

CHAPTER I U.K. INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS

Article 1 U.K. Subject matter and scope

1. The purpose of this Directive is to ensure that zoonoses, zoonotic agents and related antimicrobial resistance are properly monitored, and that food-borne outbreaks receive proper epidemiological investigation, to enable the collection in the Community of the information necessary to evaluate relevant trends and sources.

2. This Directive covers:

(a) the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents;

(b) the monitoring of related antimicrobial resistance;

(c) the epidemiological investigation of food-borne outbreaks; and

(d) the exchange of information related to zoonoses and zoonotic agents.

3. This Directive shall apply without prejudice to more specific Community provisions on animal health, animal nutrition, food hygiene, communicable human diseases, health and safety in the workplace, gene technology and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

Article 2 U.K. Definitions

For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall apply:

1.

the definitions laid down in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, and

2.

the following definitions:

(a)

‘zoonosis’ means any disease and/or infection which is naturally transmissible directly or indirectly between animals and humans;

(b)

‘zoonotic agent’ means any virus, bacterium, fungus, parasite or other biological entity which is likely to cause a zoonosis;

(c)

‘antimicrobial resistance’ means the ability of micro-organisms of certain species to survive or even to grow in the presence of a given concentration of an antimicrobial agent, that is usually sufficient to inhibit or kill micro-organisms of the same species;

(d)

‘food-borne outbreak’ means an incidence, observed under given circumstances, of two or more human cases of the same disease and/or infection, or a situation in which the observed number of cases exceeds the expected number and where the cases are linked, or are probably linked, to the same food source;

(e)

‘monitoring’ means a system of collecting, analysing and disseminating data on the occurrence of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and antimicrobial resistance related thereto.

Article 3 U.K. General obligations

1. Member States shall ensure that data on the occurrence of zoonoses and zoonotic agents and antimicrobial resistance related thereto are collected, analysed and published without delay in accordance with the requirements of this Directive and of any provisions adopted pursuant to it.

2. Each Member State shall designate a competent authority or competent authorities for the purposes of this Directive and notify the Commission thereof. If a Member State designates more than one competent authority, it shall:

(a) notify the Commission of the competent authority that will act as a contact point for contacts with the Commission; and

(b) ensure that the competent authorities cooperate so as to guarantee the proper implementation of the requirements of this Directive.

3. Each Member State shall ensure that effective and continuous cooperation based on free exchange of general information and, where necessary, of specific data, is established between the competent authority or authorities designated for the purposes of this Directive and:

(a) the competent authorities for the purposes of Community legislation on animal health;

(b) the competent authorities for the purposes of Community legislation on feed;

(c) the competent authorities for the purposes of Community legislation on food hygiene;

(d) the structures and/or authorities referred to in Article 1 of Decision No 2119/98/EC;

(e) other authorities and organisations concerned.

4. Each Member State shall ensure that the relevant officials of the competent authority or competent authorities referred to in paragraph 2 undertake suitable initial and ongoing training in veterinary science, microbiology or epidemiology, as necessary.