CHAPTER III

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES
SECTION 13

CONTROL CENTRES AND EXPERT GROUPS

National/Central disease control centres — Functions and duties
Article 74
1
Member States shall ensure that a fully functional national/central disease control centre may be immediately established in the event of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks.
2
The national/central disease control centre shall first of all direct and monitor the operations of local disease control centres as provided for in Article 76. Certain functions originally attributed to the national/central disease control centre may subsequently be transferred to the local disease control centre operated at the administrative level provided for in Article 2(2)(p) of Directive 64/432/EEC or higher provided that the tasks of the national disease control centre are not compromised.
3
The national/central disease control centre shall be at least responsible for:
a
designing the necessary control measures;
b
ensuring the prompt and efficient implementation of those measures by the local disease control centres;
c
deploying staff and other resources to local disease control centres;
d
providing information to the Commission, to the competent authorities of other Member States and other national authorities including competent environmental authorities and bodies, as well as veterinary, agricultural and trading organisations and bodies;
e
organising an emergency vaccination campaign and also the delimitation of vaccination zones;
f
liasing with diagnostic laboratories;
g
liasing with competent environmental authorities to coordinate the actions on veterinary and environmental safety;
h
liasing with the media;
i
liasing with the enforcement bodies to ensure adequate implementation of specific legal measures.