Any animal suspected of being infected by a TSE shall be either placed under an official movement restriction until the results of a clinical and epidemiological examination carried out by the competent authority are known, or killed for laboratory examination under official control.

If a TSE is officially suspected in a bovine animal at a holding F2..., all other bovine animals at that holding shall be placed under an official movement restriction until the results of the examination are available. If a TSE is officially suspected in an ovine or caprine animal at a holding F2..., all other ovine and caprine animals at that holding shall be placed under an official movement restriction until the results are available.

However, if there is evidence that the holding where the animal was present when the TSE was suspected is unlikely to be the holding where the animal could have been exposed to the TSE, the competent authority may decide that only the animal suspected of being infected shall be placed under an official movement restriction.

If considered necessary, the competent authority may also decide that other holdings or only the holding of exposure shall be placed under official control depending on the epidemiological information available.

F3To the extent provided for under paragraph 4, an appropriate authority may make regulations to permit exemptions from implementing movement restrictions where it is satisfied that equivalent safeguards based on an assessment of the possible risks to human and animal health are applied.

Where the competent authority decides that the possibility of infection with a TSE cannot be ruled out, the animal shall be killed, if it is still alive; its brain and all other tissues as the competent authority may determine shall be removed and sent to an officially approved laboratory F4... for examination in accordance with the testing methods laid down in Article 20.

All parts of the body of the suspect animal shall be either retained under official control until a negative diagnosis has been made, or disposed of in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002.

The appropriate authority may by regulations prescribe rules for the implementation of this Article.