S.L. 437.50 Art. 19Establishment of protection and surveillance zones.

(1) The competent authority shall ensure that, without prejudice to measures provided for in rule 7, at least the measures laid down in sub-rules (2), (3) and (4) are taken immediately after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease is confirmed.

(2) The competent authority shall establish a protection zone based on a minimum radius of three kilometres and a surveillance zone based on a minimum radius of ten kilometres centred on the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease referred to in sub-rule (1). The geographical delimitation of those zones shall take account of administrative boundaries, natural barriers, supervision facilities and technological progress which makes it possible to predict the probable dispersion of the foot-and-mouth disease virus by air or any other means. That delimitation shall be reviewed, if necessary, in the light of such elements.

(3) The competent authority shall ensure that the protection and surveillance zones are marked by posting signs of sufficient size on roads entering the zones.

(4) In order to ensure full coordination of all measures necessary to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease as quickly as possible, national and local disease control centres as referred to in rules 69 and 71 shall be established. For the purpose of carrying out the epidemiological inquiry as provided for in rule 13, those centres shall be assisted by an expert group as provided for in rule 73.

(5) The competent authority shall without delay trace animals dispatched from the zones during the period of at least twenty-one days before the estimated date of earliest infection on a holding in the protection zone and they shall inform the competent authorities in other Member States and the European Commission about their results from tracing of animals.

(6) The competent authority shall collaborate in tracing fresh meat, meat products, raw milk and raw milk products derived from animals of susceptible species originating in the protection zone and produced between the date of estimated introduction of the foot-and-mouth disease virus until the date the measures provided for in sub-rule (2) come into force. Such fresh meat, meat products, raw milk and raw milk products shall be treated in accordance with rules 23, 24 and 25 respectively or detained until possible contamination with the foot-and-mouth disease virus is officially ruled out.