Commission Decision
of 10 April 2001
laying down the measures to be carried out before releasing the restrictions applied in accordance with Article 9 of Council Directive 85/511/EEC
(notified under document number C(2001) 1094)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2001/295/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra-Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market(1), as last amended by Directive 92/118/EEC(2), and in particular Article 10 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 89/662/EEC of 11 December 1989 concerning veterinary checks in intra-Community trade with a view to the completion of the internal market(3), as last amended by Directive 92/118/EEC, and in particular Article 9 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Council Directive 85/511/EEC of 18 November 1985(4), as last amended by the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, introduced Community measures for the control of foot-and-mouth disease.
(2) The establishment, in accordance with Article 9 of that Directive, of protection and surveillance zones around confirmed outbreaks is an essential element of disease control, however the Directive does not provide for the measures necessary to be carried out before the restrictions applied in the zones are released.
(3) Following the reports of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Ireland, the Commission, in order to reinforce the measures taken by the affected Member States in the framework of Directive 85/511/EEC adopted Decisions 2001/172/EC(5), 2001/208/EC(6), 2001/223/EC(7) and 2001/234/EC(8) concerning certain protection measures with regard to foot-and-mouth disease in the respective Member State.
(4) The current epidemic involves to a great extent animals of susceptible species that express very mild clinical signs and therefore the absence of disease must be substantiated by appropriate laboratory testing.
(5) It appears appropriate to lay down the minimum requirements for the measures to be taken before the restrictions applied in protection and surveillance zones can be released.
(6) The measures provided for in this Decision shall not apply to Great Britain in view of the different epidemiological situation which cannot be compared with other parts of the Community.
(7) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
Northern Ireland and Member States other than the United Kingdom shall ensure that the following measures are carried out in the zones established in accordance with Directive 85/511/EEC prior to lifting the restrictions provided for in Article 9 of that Directive:
1. The measures applied in the protection zone shall be maintained until the following requirements have been met:
(a) at least 15 days have elapsed since the elimination of all the animals of susceptible species from the holding referred to in Article 5 of Directive 85/511/EEC and the completion of the preliminary cleansing and disinfection on this holding, carried out in accordance with Article 10 of that Directive, and
(b) a survey has been concluded with negative results in all holdings with animals of susceptible species situated within the zone.
This survey shall be carried out in compliance with the provisions in paragraph 1 of the Annex and shall, where required by the epidemiological situation, in particular where small ruminants are affected by the disease and based on the provisions in paragraphs 2.1 and 2.4 of the Annex, include the measures provided for in paragraph 2.2 of the Annex.
2. The measures applied in the surveillance zone shall be maintained until the following requirements have been met:
(a) at least 30 days have elapsed since the elimination of all the animals of susceptible species from the holding referred to in Article 5 of Directive 85/511/EEC and the completion of the preliminary cleansing and disinfection on this holding, carried out in accordance with Article 10 of that Directive, and
(b) the requirements laid down in paragraph 1(b) have been met in the respective protection zone,
(c) a survey has been concluded with negative results in all holdings with animals of susceptible species situated within the zone.
This survey shall be carried out in compliance with the provisions in paragraph 1 of the Annex and shall, where required by the epidemiological situation, in particular where small ruminants are affected by the disease and based on the provisions in paragraphs 2.1 and 2.4 of the Annex, include the measures provided for in paragraph 2.3 of the Annex.
Article 2
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 10 April 2001.