PART 1Introduction

Title, application and commencement1.

(1)

This Order may be cited as the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (England) Order 2006.

(2)

It applies only in England and comes into force on 23rd February 2006.

Interpretation2.

(1)

In this Order—

“the Act” means the Animal Health Act 1981;

“animal gathering” means an event at which animals are brought together, including a market, show or fair, but not any occasion at which animals are brought together on the premises on which they are kept;

“animal product” means anything originating or made (whether in whole or in part) from an animal or from a carcase;

“associated protection zone” means, in relation to a surveillance zone, the protection zone centred on the same premises as that surveillance zone;

“border inspection post” means, except in article 32, a place specified as a border inspection post in Schedule 2 to the Animals and Animal Products (Import and Export) (England) Regulations 20053;

“bovine animal” includes buffalo and bison;

“Chief Veterinary Officer” means the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Department;

“collecting centre” means premises used for the intermediate reception of animals intended to be moved elsewhere;

“contact premises” means any premises declared to be contact premises under article 14(2);

“contaminated” means directly or indirectly exposed to disease and “contamination” shall be construed accordingly;

“the Department” means the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;

“the Directive” means Council Directive 2003/85/EC on Community measures for the control of foot-and-mouth disease repealing Directive 85/511/EEC and Decisions 89/531/EEC and 91/665/EEC and amending Directive 92/46/EEC4;

“disease” means foot-and-mouth disease;

“Divisional Veterinary Manager” means the Divisional Veterinary Manager of the State Veterinary Service for the area in which premises are located;

“free unit” means a separate production unit declared to be a free unit under sub-paragraph 2A(6) of Schedule 3 to the Act or under article 13;

“fresh meat” means meat (including offal) that has not undergone any preserving process other than chilling, freezing or quick-freezing, including meat that is vacuum wrapped or wrapped in a controlled atmosphere;

“health marked” means bearing the health mark required by article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption5 and “health mark” shall be construed accordingly;
“identification marked” means bearing the identification mark required by article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin6 and “identification mark” shall be construed accordingly;

“incubation period” means—

(a)

for cattle, pigs and other bovine animals and swine, 14 days; and

(b)

for other susceptible animals, 21 days;

“infected” means affected with disease and “infection” shall be construed accordingly;

“infected premises” means any premises declared to be infected premises under article 12(12);

“infection date” means, in respect of any premises, the date confirmed by the Chief Veterinary Officer under article 12(10) as the earliest date disease was present there;

“keeper” means any person responsible for animals, whether on a permanent or temporary basis, but does not include a person who is responsible for animals solely because he is transporting them;

“meat preparation” means fresh meat, including meat that has been reduced to fragments, which has had foodstuffs, seasonings or additives added to it or which has undergone processes insufficient to modify the internal muscle fibre structure of the meat and thus to eliminate the characteristics of fresh meat;

“meat product” means a processed product resulting from the processing of meat or from the further processing of such processed products, so that the cut surface shows that the product no longer has the characteristics of fresh meat;

“mechanically separated meat” means the product obtained by removing meat from flesh-bearing bones after boning, using mechanical means resulting in the loss or modification of the muscle fibre structure;

“milk” includes cream, separated milk, skimmed milk and buttermilk;

“milk product” includes butter, cheese, yoghurt, whey and any other product the main constituent of which is milk;

“minced meat” means boned meat that has been minced into fragments and contains less than 1% salt;

“occupier” means, in relation to any premises, the person in charge of those premises;

“overstamped” means, in relation to a health marked or identification marked item, bearing an additional diagonal cross consisting of two straight lines intersecting at the centre of the health mark or identification mark and allowing the information there to remain legible (whether or not that additional cross is applied by the same stamp as the mark);

“premises” includes any land, building or other place;

“protection zone” means a protection zone declared under article 31(1), 31(3), 32(1) or 32(2);

“public highway” means a highway maintainable at the public expense;

“raw milk” means milk that has not been heated to more than 40°C or undergone any treatment that has an equivalent effect;

“restricted zone” means a restricted zone declared under article 38(1) or 38(2);

“sell” means sell to the final consumer or user and “sale” in the expression “consign for sale” shall be construed accordingly;

“slaughterhouse” means an establishment used for slaughtering and dressing animals, the meat of which is intended for human consumption and which—

(a)

is approved or conditionally approved under article 31(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls performed to ensure the verification of feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules7, or

(b)

although lacking the approval or conditional approval that it requires under article 4(3) of Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004) was, on 31st December 2005, operating as a licensed slaughterhouse under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 19958 or the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 19959;

“supplementary movement control zone” means a supplementary movement control zone declared under article 19(1);

“surveillance zone” means a surveillance zone declared under article 31(1), 31(3), 32(1)or 32(2);

“susceptible animal” means a cow, bull, sheep, goat, deer, camel, llama, alpaca, guanaco, vicuna, any other ruminant, any swine (that is, a member of the suborder Suina of the order Artiodactyla), elephant or rodent (other than a pet rodent);

“suspected of being infected” means exhibiting clinical symptoms or showing post-mortem lesions or reactions to laboratory tests such that the presence of disease may reasonably be suspected;

“suspect premises” means any premises declared to be suspect premises under article 12(7) or 14(1);

“temporary control zone” means a temporary control zone declared under article 16(1);

“used litter” means any substance which has been used for the bedding of animals;

“vaccination surveillance zone” means a vaccination surveillance zone declared under regulation 12(1), 13(2) or 13(3) of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Control of Vaccination) (England) Regulations 200610;

“vaccination zone” means a vaccination zone declared under regulation 12(1) of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Control of Vaccination) (England) Regulations 2006;

“vehicle” includes—

(a)

a trailer, semi-trailer or other thing which is designed or adapted to be towed by another vehicle,

(b)

a detachable part of a vehicle,

(c)

a container or other structure designed or adapted to be carried by or on a vehicle;

“wild animal infected zone” means a wild animal infected zone declared under article 40(1).

(2)

References in this Order to “emergency slaughter” mean slaughter of animals which are not suspected of infection or contamination and are not on infected premises, where an inspector considers that the circumstances require urgent slaughter (including slaughter for welfare reasons).

(3)

References in this Order to “susceptible animals originating in”, in respect of a protection zone or surveillance zone or “susceptible animals originating on”, in respect of infected premises mean—

(a)

susceptible animals kept in the protection zone or surveillance zone (after the declaration of the zone) or on the infected premises, as the case may be; and

(b)

susceptible animals which were kept within the boundaries of the protection zone or surveillance zone or on the infected premises at any time during the period—

(i)

beginning 21 days before the following date—

(aa)

in the case of a protection zone, the earliest infection date on premises there,

(bb)

in the case of a surveillance zone, the earliest infection date on premises in the associated protection zone,

(cc)

in the case of infected premises, the infection date; and

(ii)

ending with the declaration of the protection zone, surveillance zone or infected premises, as the case may be.

(4)

References in this Order to “susceptible animals originating in”, in respect of a vaccination zone or temporary control zone or “susceptible animals originating on”, in respect of suspect premises or contact premises mean—

(a)

susceptible animals kept in the vaccination zone or temporary control zone (after the declaration of the zone) or on the suspect premises or contact premises, as the case may be; and

(b)

susceptible animals which were kept within the boundaries of the vaccination zone or temporary control zone or on the suspect premises or contact premises at any time during the period—

(i)

beginning 21 days before the declaration of the vaccination zone or temporary control zone or suspect premises or contact premises, as the case may be, and

(ii)

ending with that declaration.

Extension of definitions of “animals” and “poultry”3.

For the purposes of the Act in its application to disease and to this Order—

(a)

the definition of “animals” in section 87(1) of the Act is extended to comprise all four-footed beasts;

(b)

the definition of “poultry” in section 87(4) of the Act is extended to comprise all birds.

Premises comprising common or unenclosed land4.

For the purposes of this Order—

(a)

common or unenclosed land forms separate premises from other land unless—

(i)

the parcels of land adjoin, and

(ii)

all animals kept on each parcel of land are in the charge of the same keeper;

(b)

a notice which is to be served on the occupier of premises wholly or partially comprising any common or unenclosed land is validly served if served on every keeper of animals kept there (so far as those persons are reasonably ascertainable);

(c)

a requirement or restriction imposed on the occupier of premises wholly or partially comprising any common or unenclosed land applies to every keeper of animals kept there.

Licences and declarations5.

(1)

Licences granted under this Order—

(a)

shall be in writing;

(b)

may, in addition to any conditions required by this Order, be made subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State considers necessary to prevent the spread of disease; and

(c)

may be amended, suspended or revoked in writing at any time.

(2)

Except where otherwise directed by the Secretary of State, a licence granted in Scotland or Wales for the same purpose as a licence which may be granted under this Order is valid for that purpose in England and its conditions apply in England as if it was a licence granted under this Order.

(3)

Declarations made under this Order shall be in writing.

(4)

Any amendment to or revocation of a declaration shall be made by further declaration.

Notices6.

(1)

Notices issued under this Order may be amended or revoked in writing at any time.

(2)

A notice which—

(a)

is served on the occupier of premises; and

(b)

imposes a requirement or restriction in respect of those premises,

shall contain a description of the premises sufficient to enable the extent of the premises to be ascertained.

(3)

Such a description may be amended by a veterinary inspector if he is satisfied that it does not describe an appropriate area for the purposes of investigating and monitoring the spread of disease in respect of animals which are usually kept together.

Dissemination of information concerning restrictions and requirements7.

(1)

The Secretary of State shall take such steps as she considers fit to ensure that licences, declarations and notices are brought to the attention of those who may be affected by them as soon as is reasonably practicable.

(2)

She shall also ensure that—

(a)

the extent of any zone declared under this Order;

(b)

the nature of the restrictions and requirements applicable within the zone;

(c)

the date of its declaration; and

(d)

the date that declaration ceases to have effect in respect of the zone or any part of it,

are publicised.

Disinfection8.

Disinfection under this Order shall be carried out with a disinfectant which is—

(a)

approved for use for the purpose of this Order and the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Control of Vaccination) (England) Regulations by the Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) Order 197811;

(b)

used at the concentration specified in that Order; and

(c)

used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions or recommendations (if any) and in particular, if use is recommended before any date, used before that date.