Member States shall ensure that staff of the competent authority, of diagnostic laboratories and colleges of agriculture and veterinary medicine, official veterinarians, veterinary practitioners, slaughterhouse personnel and animal breeders, keepers and handlers have been given training in the clinical signs, epidemiology and, in the case of staff responsible for carrying out checks, in interpreting laboratory findings relating to TSEs.

To ensure effective implementation of the education programmes provided for in paragraph 1, financial assistance from the Community may be granted. The amount of such assistance shall be determined in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2).