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Directive 85/511/EEC
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Control of FMD within Europe as a whole is now carried out according to the principles
laid down in European Union (EU) legislation. These are laid down in Directive 85/511/EEC
as amended by Directive 90/423/EEC which modifes 85/511 to take account of the Union-wide
non-vaccination policy. Although all of the legislation may not be applicable to countries
elsewhere in the world, the principles incorporated into the Directive cover in detail all
of the actions which must be taken when FMD is suspected or confirmed in FMD-free countries
which do not practice vaccination. The directive is therefore included here in its entirety
and principles involved are discussed separately. At the time of writing (July 1998) FMD
legislation within the EU is under review and it is likely that some of the practices, but
not the underlying principles, will be changed over the coming years.
From August 1991 mass annual prophylactic vaccination against FMDV ceased in the European
Union (EU), and complementary FMD control policies have been introduced in the European
Free Trade Association (EFTA) and several former Eastern Bloc countries simultaneously.
Some European laboratories have ceased to manipulate live FMDV, and vaccine manufacturing
sites have been reduced. Since 1991 there have been outbreaks of type O FMDV in Italy in
1993 and Greece in 1994 and 1996, all of which have been contained without resort to
emergency 'ring' vaccination.
Control of FMD within the EU now relies upon import controls and quarantine, and rapid
diagnosis for identification of outbreaks. Future outbreaks would be controlled by
'stamping out', movement control and zoosanitary measures.
The change in EU FMD control policy has resulted in a gradual decline of herd immunity in
the Community, increasing the risk of rapid spread of disease following a future outbreak.
Certain contingencies are therefore necessary to supplement importation controls as part of
national FMD control policies. These include:
• increased awareness of FMD
• staff training in recognition and surveillance
• detailed and approved contingency plans
• an emergency compensation fund
• a Community Reference Laboratory for FMD diagnosis
• the European Union FMD Vaccine Bank (EUVB)
• national FMD vaccine banks
This harmonised policy for FMD control has maintained a high livestock health status
within the EU and allowed free trade in livestock and their products both within the
EU and with non-EU countries that observe the same FMD control policy as the EU.
Importations from non-EU countries of livestock and their products of a lower health
status are subject to more stringent controls, including certification of non-vaccinated
status, quarantine and testing for freedom from serum antibody and pharyngeal FMDV.
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