----- Original Message -----
From: ...

Originally from: lina van der wal
To: Bryn's Broadband
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 8:42 PM
Subject: Re: EU adopts new legislation to combat FMD

Hi Bryn,
Thank you for sending that.
But will they stop slaughtering?

Lina

Hi Lina,

The answer is NO !

They will "stamp out" and then use emergency
vaccination..............

This approach is bolstered by modified international
trade rules and laboratory tests to distinguish
vaccinated from infected herds which allow the use of
vaccination in a much more flexible way, albeit always
in connection with rapid stamping out of infected or
contaminated animals of susceptible species.

Bryn

---

 FMD: Byrne welcomes new EU legislation to control
outbreaks

Brussels, 29 September 2003

FMD: Byrne welcomes new EU legislation to control
outbreaks

New legislation on EU measures to control outbreaks of
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was adopted by the
Council of Agriculture Ministers today. FMD is not
dangerous for human health but outbreaks of this
highly contagious viral disease in livestock have an
exceptional economic and psycho-social impact on the
rural and national economy in the EU. The Directive
sets out detailed measures to rapidly control and
eradicate the disease and outlines procedures on
recovering the status "free of FMD and infection
without vaccination", which is of crucial importance
for trade. Control actions are supplemented with
measures to ensure a high level of preparedness
against the disease. The Commission is given a key
role in managing an outbreak in partnership with the
Member States. The Directive enters into force on the
day of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Union. Member States must comply with the
provisions by 30 June 2004 at the latest.

David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer
Protection, welcomed Council's adoption of the
Directive. "Outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in
individual Member States impact on the EU as a whole,
as we saw in 2001. The new law aims to maintain or, in
the event of an outbreak, quickly regain the
'FMD-free' status that is of key importance for trade
in animals and animal products. Emergency vaccination
is moved to the forefront of control measures instead
of being the last resort. The new legislation is a
true reform."

The new law won broad support from the European
Parliament, the European Committee of the Regions and
the European Economic and Social Committee as
reflecting the lessons learned from the 2001 outbreak.

Emergency vaccination as an early response in the case
of an outbreak

The details of the Directive range from the
notification of a suspect case through to the measures
to be taken in relation to animals and their products
during an outbreak until disease- and infection-free
status is regained. It makes provisions for a high
level of disease preparedness, notably contingency
planning and vaccine banks, and also covers the
possibility of infection in wildlife.

Being a carefully considered reform rather than a
revolution, there is no departure from the ban on
prophylactic vaccination introduced in 1992, but the
emphasis on various control measures is shifted by
moving emergency vaccination further to the forefront
of the control strategy.

This approach is bolstered by modified international
trade rules and laboratory tests to distinguish
vaccinated from infected herds which allow the use of
vaccination in a much more flexible way, albeit always
in connection with rapid stamping out of infected or
contaminated animals of susceptible species.

Further new elements

Prior to the confirmation of an outbreak, veterinary
services will be empowered to establish suspect
restriction zones and to impose a temporary movement
ban on large parts of affected Member States.

The new law also provides for "regionalisation",
limiting restrictions to the particular regions of a
Member State that are affected by an outbreak. This is
of particular importance where emergency vaccination
has been carried out. Vaccinated animals from herds
which have been tested for the absence of infection
and have regained FMD free status may move within the
Member State concerned but will not be allowed to be
traded to other Member States. Detailed rules are laid
down for the marketing of products such as milk and
meat from animals from restricted areas or from
vaccinated animals. These products are not dangerous
to humans and restrictions on their circulation are
kept to the minimum necessary to prevent the spread of
any possible FMD virus, primarily through appropriate
treatment or specific production conditions.

The Directive outlines the measures to be taken in
order to prepare for an outbreak. The main new
elements are:

Provisions are made for diagnostic facilities, in
particular a Community Reference Laboratory, including
a bank for diagnostic reagents, test kits, etc.

Detailed provisions are laid down for the management
of the European antigen bank and for access to this
bank by Member States and, where required, third
countries. Specific rules are laid down for the
confidential treatment of information on the
quantities and strains of antigens stored at the bank.

Emphasis is put on preparation of contingency plans,
including the preparation for a "worst case" scenario.
Contingency plans have to be regularly updated in the
light of the results of alert exercises
Background

The EU measures for the control of FMD are currently
laid down in Directive 85/511/EEC(1). The
"non-vaccination policy" was introduced by Council
Directive 90/423/EEC(2), which also specified
requirements for contingency planning and antigen
stocks for the production of vaccines for emergency
vaccination. In order to protect livestock against
infection, it also made modifications to the
conditions for intra-EU trade and imports from third
countries of susceptible animals and animal products,
such as milk and meat. The proposal for a new FMD
Directive is based on the experience with classical
swine fever in 1997 and the application in 2001 of the
current measures for FMD control as well as intensive
stakeholder consultation, and the report of the
European Parliament adopted on 17th December 2002.

(1)OJ L 315, 26.11.1985, p. 11.

(2)OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 13

--- ... wrote:
Dear Andrew: Bryn's posted-up on FMDNew that the
EU is now going to re-consider using vaccination.

Burkie

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