Council Directive 2005/94/ECShow full title

ANNEX VI (referred to in Article 48)

Principles and procedures for cleansing, disinfection and treatment of holdings

1. The following general principles and procedures shall be applied for the cleansing, disinfection and treatment provided for in Article 48:

(a)

the cleansing and disinfection and, where necessary, the measures to destroy rodents and insects must be carried out under official supervision and in accordance with the instructions given by the official veterinarian;

(b)

the disinfectants to be used and their concentrations must be authorised by the competent authority to ensure the destruction of avian influenza virus;

(c)

disinfectants should either be used in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer where provided or in accordance with the instructions of the official veterinarian and/or the instructions of the competent authority, if any;

(d)

the choice of disinfectants and of procedures for disinfection must be made taking into account the nature of the holdings, vehicles and objects which are to be treated;

(e)

the conditions under which degreasing agents and disinfectants are used must ensure that their efficacy is not impaired; in particular, technical parameters indicated by the manufacturer, such as pressure, minimum temperature and required contact time must be observed;

(f)

irrespective of the disinfectant used, the following general rules shall be applied:

(i)

a thorough soaking of bedding and litter, as well as faecal matter, with the disinfectant;

(ii)

washing and cleansing by careful brushing and scrubbing of the ground, floors, ramps and walls following the removal or dismantling, where possible, of equipment or installations otherwise impairing the effective cleansing and disinfection procedures;

(iii)

then, further application of disinfectant for a minimum contact time as stipulated in the manufacturer’s recommendations;

(g)

where washing is carried out with liquids applied under pressure, re-contamination of the previously cleansed parts must be avoided;

(h)

washing, disinfecting or destroying of equipment, installations, articles or anything likely to be contaminated must be envisaged;

(i)

following disinfection procedures, re-contamination must be avoided;

(j)

cleansing and disinfection as required in the framework of this Directive must be documented in the holding or vehicle register and, where official approval is required, be certified by the supervising official veterinarian or person under his supervision;

(k)

cleansing and disinfection of vehicles used for transport and by staff.

2. Cleansing and disinfection of infected holdings shall be carried out in accordance with the following principles and procedures:

(a)

preliminary cleansing and disinfection:

(i)

during the killing of the poultry or other captive birds all necessary measures must be taken to avoid or minimise the dispersion of avian influenza virus; those measures must include the installation of temporary disinfection equipment, supply of protective clothing, showers, decontamination of used equipment, instruments and facilities and the interruption of power supply to the ventilation;

(ii)

carcases of killed poultry or other captive birds must be sprayed with disinfectant;

(iii)

any transport of carcases of poultry or other captive birds which have to be removed from the holding for disposal shall be carried out in closed, leak proof vehicles or containers under official supervision in such a way as to prevent the spread of avian influenza virus;

(iv)

as soon as the killed poultry or other captive birds have been removed to be disposed of, those parts of the holding in which they were housed and any parts of other buildings, yards etc. contaminated during the killing, or the post-mortem examination must be sprayed with disinfectants authorised in accordance with Article 48;

(v)

any tissue or blood spilled during the killing or from the post-mortem examinations must be carefully collected and disposed of with the killed poultry or other captive birds;

(vi)

the disinfectant must remain on the surface for at least 24 hours;

(b)

final cleansing and disinfection:

(i)

manure and used bedding must be removed and treated as provided in paragraph 3(a);

(ii)

grease and dirt must be removed from all surfaces by the application of a degreasing agent, and the surfaces cleansed with water;

(iii)

after washing with cold water, further spraying with disinfectant must be applied;

(iv)

after seven days the holding must be treated with a degreasing agent, rinsed with water, sprayed with disinfectant and rinsed again with water.

3. Disinfection of contaminated bedding, manure and slurry shall be carried out in accordance with the following principles and procedures:

(a)

manure and used bedding shall either:

(i)

undergo a steam treatment at a temperature of at least 70 °C;

(ii)

be destroyed by burning;

(iii)

be buried deep enough to prevent access by wild birds and other animals; or

(iv)

be stacked to heat, sprayed with disinfectant and left for at least 42 days;

(b)

slurry must be stored for at least 60 days after the last addition of infectious material, unless the competent authorities authorises a reduced storage period for slurry which has been effectively treated in accordance with the instructions of the official veterinarian so as to ensure the destruction of the virus.

The competent authority may authorise the transportation of manure, litter and bedding likely to be contaminated to either an approved treatment plant where a treatment ensuring the destruction of any influenza virus is carried out, or for intermediate storage before destruction or treatment, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 or with the specific rules referred to in Article 63(1) of this Directive. Such transport shall be carried out in closed, leak proof vehicles or containers under official supervision in such a way as to prevent the spread of avian influenza virus.

4. However, by way of derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2, the competent authority may establish specific procedures for cleansing and disinfection, taking into account the type of holding and the climatic conditions. The competent authority shall notify the Commission when this derogation is applied and provide them with details of the specific procedures.

5. Without prejudice to Article 48(b), if the competent authority is satisfied that any holding or part of any holding cannot, for any reason, be cleansed and disinfected, it may prohibit the entry of any person, vehicle, poultry, other captive bird or mammal of domestic species or any thing on to those holdings, or part of those holdings, and such prohibition shall remain in force for a minimum of 12 months.