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.

National/Central disease control centres — Technical requirements
Article 75
1
Member States shall ensure that the national/central disease control centres have all the necessary means including staff, facilities and equipment, to manage an efficient eradication campaign.
2
The means referred to in paragraph 1 shall include at least the following:
a
a herd identifier and animal location system, preferably computerised;
b
all suitable means of communication including telephones, fax and if possible facilities for communication with the media;
c
a communication system allowing exchange of information with the local disease control centres, the laboratories and other relevant organisations, preferably computerised;
d
maps and other sources of information that can be used in directing control measures;
e
a shared daily journal which shall be maintained to record in chronological order all the events associated with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and allowing different activities to be linked and coordinated;
f
lists of national and international organisations and laboratories that are interested in an outbreak of foot-and-mouth and shall be contacted in such an event;
g
lists of staff and other persons who may be called upon immediately to serve at local disease control centres or in expert groups provided for in Article 78 in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;
h
lists of competent environmental protection authorities and bodies to contact in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;
i
maps identifying appropriate processing site areas;
j
lists of treatment and processing undertakings authorised to treat or process animal carcasses and animal waste that could be commissioned in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, in particular, indicating their capacity, address and other contact details;
k
lists of measures to monitor and control disinfectant run-off as well as body tissue and fluid displacement into the surrounding environment as a result of carcass decomposition, particularly into surface waters and groundwaters.

Local disease control centres — set-up, functions and duties
Article 76
1
Member States shall ensure that fully functional local disease control centres may be established immediately in the event of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease.
2
Member States shall ensure that within the framework of their contingency plans provisions are made for likely locations of local disease control centres, their organisation, staff, accommodation, facilities and equipment, management systems, communication lines as well as information channels.
3
Member States shall ensure the local disease control centres act in close coordination and cooperation with the national/central disease control centre, in particular in relation to the measures provided for in Article 74(3)(b).
4
Member States shall ensure that local disease control centres have the necessary organisation to ensure the prompt implementation of the measures provided for in this Directive to be applied in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Local disease control centres — Technical requirements
Article 77
1
Member States shall ensure that the local disease control centres have staff, facilities and equipment as required, and a clear management structure and effective management to ensure the prompt implementation of the measures relating to the epidemiological inquiry, environmental protection, processing of carcasses from infected herds, official surveillance of the zones, tracing, welfare and emergency slaughter, cleansing and disinfection and others measures of sanitation, emergency vaccination, and all other policy decisions.
2
The local disease control centres shall have at least:
a
one telephone line reserved for communication with the national disease control centre accessible phone lines where farmers and other rural residents can obtain recent, accurate information about the measures taken;
b
field staff equipped with necessary tools for communication and effective management of all necessary data;
c
a record system, preferably computer-based, connected to the national disease control centre and to all necessary databases, laboratories and other organisations;
d
a shared daily journal which shall be maintained to record in chronological order all the events associated with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth and allowing different activities to be linked and coordinated;
e
up-to-date lists of persons, including private veterinarians, and local organisations in each region who shall be contacted and may be involved in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;
f
up-to-date lists of holdings to which the provisions of Article 15 and 18 may be applied in the case of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;
g
up-to-date inventories of possible burning or burial places for animals killed in accordance with this Directive and to be processed in accordance with Community and national legislation on the protection of the environment;
h
up-to-date list of competent environmental authorities in each region, as well as other environmental bodies who must be contacted and are to be involved in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;
i
maps identifying suitable disposal sites for burial of carcasses that will not present a risk of harm to the environment, in particular to surface waters or groundwaters;
j
list of treatment and disposal undertakings authorised to treat or dispose of animal carcasses and animal waste;
k
list of measures to monitor and control disinfectant run-off as well as body tissue and fluid displacement into the surrounding environment as a result of carcass decomposition, particularly into surface waters and groundwaters.

Expert Group
Article 78
1
Member States shall create a permanently operational expert group, which is composed of epidemiologists, veterinary scientists and virologists in a balanced way, to maintain expertise in order to assist the competent authority in ensuring preparedness against an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, Member States with a limited number of animals of susceptible species may arrange a formalised agreement with other Member States on mutual assistance in regard of the expert group. These arrangements shall be detailed in the contingency plans referred to in Article 72.
2
In case of a suspicion of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease the expert group shall at least:
a
evaluate the clinical picture and the epidemiological situation;
b
give advice regarding the sampling and analyses needed for diagnosing the foot-and-mouth disease together with the additional actions and measures to be taken.
3
In case of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth the expert group shall at least:
a
conduct at least in the index case and if necessary on the spot, an evaluation of the clinical picture and an analysis of the epidemiological inquiry in order to collect the necessary data for determining:
1. the origin of the infection;
2. the date of introduction of the infectious agent;
3. the possible spread of the disease;
b
report to the Chief Veterinary Officer and the national disease control centre;
c
give advice on screening, sampling, test procedures, control and the other measures to be applied and on the strategy to be implemented, including advice on bio-security measures on holdings or on premises referred to in Article 16, and in relation to emergency vaccination;
d
follow up and guide the epidemiological inquiry;
e
supplement the epidemiological data with geographical, meteorological and other necessary information;
f
analyse the epidemiological data and perform risk assessments at regular intervals;
g
assist in ensuring that the processing of animal carcasses and animal waste is done with a minimum of detrimental effect on the environment.