Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases (Text with EEA relevance) (c. 687)

ANNEX XIV CRITERIA FOR ESTABLISHING RESTRICTED ZONES AS REGARDS CATEGORY A DISEASES IN AQUATIC ANIMALS

1. Restricted zones as referred to in Article 85 must be defined on a case-by-case basis taking into account at least the following factors:

(a)

the accumulated number, the accumulated percentage and the distribution of the mortalities of molluscs/crustaceans/fish in the establishment or group of farming establishments infected with category A diseases;

(b)

relevant information regarding movements to and from the infected establishment(s);

(c)

the distance to and density of neighbouring establishments;

(d)

the presence of wild aquatic animals;

(e)

any knowledge concerning mortalities, suspected cases or outbreaks in wild aquatic animals which are, or could be related to the specific category A disease;

(f)

the proximity to processing establishments, and the species present at those establishments, especially as regards listed species;

(g)

farming practices applied in the affected and neighbouring establishments;

(h)

hydrodynamic conditions and other identified factors of epidemiological significance.

2. For the geographical demarcation of the protection and surveillance zones for category A diseases affecting molluscs and crustaceans, the following minimum requirements apply:

(a)

the protection zone must be established in the immediate vicinity of an establishment or group of farming establishments officially confirmed as infected with a category A disease and must correspond to an area determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic and epidemiological data;

(b)

the surveillance zone must be established outside the protection zone and must correspond to an area surrounding the protection zone, determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data.

3. For the geographical demarcation of the protection and surveillance zones for category A diseases affecting fish, the following minimum requirements must apply:

(a)

the protection zone must be established around an establishment where Epizootic hematopoietic necrosis (EHN) has been confirmed. This zone shall correspond:

(i)

in coastal areas: to an area included in a circle with a radius of at least one tidal excursion or at least 5 km, whichever is larger, centred on the establishment in which EHN has been officially confirmed, or an equivalent area determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data;

(ii)

in inland areas: to the entire water catchment area of the establishment in which EHN has been officially confirmed. The competent authority may limit the extension of the zone to parts of the water catchment area, or the area of the establishment, provided this does not compromise prevention of the spread of the disease;

(b)

the surveillance zone must be established by the competent authority outside the protection zone and must:

(i)

in coastal areas: correspond to an area, surrounding the protection zone, of overlapping tidal excursion; or an area, surrounding the protection zone, and included in a circle of radius 10 km from the centre of the protection zone; or an equivalent area determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data;

(ii)

in inland areas: be an extended area outside the established protection zone.