What will happen on my farm if

disease is suspected there?

An Animal Health Veterinary Inspector will visit your

animals as soon as possible and serve a Restriction Notice -

Form EXD1 (FMD) - on the premises. These restrictions will

remain in place until the Inspector has ruled out disease

and advises you that they have been lifted.

The Restriction Notice explains exactly what you must do

but in summary you will be asked to:

* Put up warning signs at the entrance to your premises -

Foot and Mouth Disease - Keep Out.

* Keep records of animals on your premises.

* Prevent animals from straying from the area or building

where the Veterinary Inspector asks you to keep them.

* Prevent the movement of any animals onto or off

the premises.

* Provide a method of disinfection at the entrances and

exits to the places where the animals are kept to help

stop disease spreading.

* Prevent any vehicle, person, equipment or material, e.g.

feed, slurry etc to move off the farm. If any movements

are essential, contact the local office dealing with the

investigation for advice (contact details will be on the

EXD1 (FMD) Restriction Notice).

* Control rodents on the premises.

Read the conditions of the notice carefully and ask the

Veterinary Inspector if you have any questions.

* The Veterinary Inspector will look at your animals and ask

questions about how long they have been ill, if any animals

have been moved on or off recently, etc. Try to gather this

information while you are waiting for the vet to arrive.

* After they have examined your animals, the vet will make

a telephone report to Defra HQ to discuss the case with

veterinary advisers.

* If disease cannot be ruled out, tissue and blood samples

will be collected from the affected animals including

animals that may have died recently. Blood may be taken

from others on the premises.

* The samples are sent to the Veterinary Laboratories

Agency in Surrey by the quickest means possible.

* However, if the clinical signs are obviously due to

FMD and the disease is already known to be present

in the country, the disease may be confirmed at this

stage by Defra HQ in consultation with the

Veterinary Inspector on your farm.

Until the laboratory results are known, you will remain under

the EXD1 (FMD) Restriction Notice and it is essential you comply

with the restrictions to minimise the risk of disease spreading.

What will happen around my premises

while the disease is investigated?

On suspicion of disease the Secretary of State (or the

Scottish Ministers or the Welsh Assembly in Scotland and

Wales respectively) will make a Declaration establishing a

Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) around your premises. This

will be of a size considered necessary to prevent the spread

of the disease.

Within the TCZ movements of animals to and from premises

(including into or out of the zone) are not allowed. Farmers

will be given advice on biosecurity and how to check their

stocks regularly for signs of disease.

A Supplementary Movement Control Zone may also be

established, restricting the movement of animals in a

wider area.

These are temporary measures and the TCZ would not be

expected to last more than a few days by which time the

disease situation will be clearer.

What happens when disease is

confirmed?

On the premises where disease is confirmed the following

will happen as quickly as possible:

* A Veterinary Inspector will issue a Restriction Notice

confirming disease (EXD2 (FMD)) and the restrictions on

the premises will remain in force. The premises where

the disease is confirmed is now known as an Infected

Premises (IP)

* Culling - All susceptible animals will be humanely culled.

Compensation will be paid for any animal slaughtered as

prescribed by Schedule 3 of the Animal Health Act 1981

as determined by the valuer at the time of culling.

* Valuation - all animals will be valued by a Defra

appointed valuer.

* Disposal - carcasses will be disposed either by rendering

or incineration though other options are available,

however on farm burial or burning will not be used in

most cases.

* Preliminary Disinfection - this is a disinfectant spray to

all parts of the premises where animals have been to

damp down virus to minimise the risk of spread of

disease.

* Veterinary investigation - even once the infected animals

have been culled, inquiries must continue to establish

where the disease came from and where it may have

spread.

Actions around the Infected Premises

Another Declaration will be made, to establish a restricted

area comprising a Protection Zone (PZ) which extends for at

least 3 km around the Infected Premises (IP) and a

Surveillance Zone (SZ) which extends for at least 10 km

around the IP.

Within the PZ all premises containing livestock will be

inspected by veterinary inspectors and will be subject to

restrictions. This reduces the chance of potentially infected

material leaving the premises until the disease status can

be determined.

Within the SZ all premises containing livestock will be

subject to movement restrictions.

Other measures

As a result of the veterinary investigation, other premises

may be identified where the disease may have come from

(source) or gone to (spread). These premises could be many

miles from the IP. They will be placed under another

Restriction Notice EXD 8(FMD).

* If the level of exposure is not deemed high enough to

warrant culling, the animals will remain under restriction

using Form EXD8(FMD). They will be regularly inspected

for signs of disease.

* If, following a Veterinary Inspection, it is considered very

likely that animals have been exposed to disease and will

probably develop clinical signs, they will be valued and

culled as quickly as possible. These premises are known

as Dangerous Contacts (DC) and an EXD2(FMD)

Restriction Notice will be served on them.

On all premises where animals are culled to control disease,

cleansing and disinfection (C & D) must take place before

new animals can be brought in to restock. The Animal

Health Divisional Office will supervise the process to ensure

that it has been undertaken to a satisfactory standard.

C & D usually involves cleaning areas and equipment with

approved disinfectants but can also include the premises (or

parts of the premises) remaining under restrictions for a

long period, possibly up to 12 months to allow natural virus

decay. This may be an option if you do not wish to

undertake usual C & D.

FMD Emergency vaccination would be considered from the

start of an outbreak of FMD if a veterinary risk assessment

showed that measures additional to the basic slaughter

policy were required to control the disease.

Lifting of Restrictions

EXD2(FMD) restrictions remain in place until either:

* The premises have been restocked and the animals show

no signs of disease on clinical inspections and from lab

test on samples. Restocking can only take place after a

minimum interval after secondary C&D has been

completed (the inspector will advise you how long this

needs to be) or

* A longer period of time has elapsed after which

restrictions are revoked and you may stock without

licensing, inspections and sampling.

EXD8(FMD) restrictions remain in place until either:

* A minimum period of time has elapsed since they were

exposed to possible infection or

* If the animals present have not shown any signs of

disease and any samples taken are all negative.

Premises in Protection and Surveillance Zones

* The restrictions on these premises cannot be lifted until

there is confidence that no disease is present, either on

the premises or elsewhere within the Zones.

* Regular inspections will take place from the time the

disease is suspected.

* The PZ cannot be merged with the surveillance zone

until at least 15 days after preliminary cleansing and

disinfection of the IP and then only if no disease is

suspected or confirmed and the results of any samples

taken are all negative.

* The SZ must remain in force for at least another 15 days

although again it will remain in force

if further disease is

suspected or confirmed in the area.

Contact us

This document is also available on the Defra, Welsh

Assembly Government and Scottish Executive websites.

For telephone and email enquiries for information on

any aspect of Defra, Welsh Assembly Government or

Scottish Executive work, the following helplines can

be used:

Defra 08459 33 55 77. (local call rate number within

the UK)

Welsh Assembly Government 02920 825 572

Scottish Executive 08459 33 55 77

From outside the UK the telephone number is:

+44(0)207238 6951.

There is also a minicom/textphone number for the

deaf and hard of hearing: 0845 300 1998.

The Helpline email address is:

helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk

This publication (excluding the logo) may be reproduced free of charge in

any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not

used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as

Crown copyright with the title and source of the publication specified.

Fact Sheet 3

What will happen when foot and mouth disease (FMD) is suspected or confirmed