Division I.2.2.1 General requirements

A F1constituent GB territory, zone or a compartment with Category V health status with regard to either VHS or IHN or both may achieve Category I health status with regard to those listed diseases, provided that all farms keeping susceptible species F2... within that constituent GB territory, zone or compartment have been subject to an eradication programme that complies with points (a) to (e):

1. (a)

   the minimum control measures laid down in F3Part 4 of the Aquatic Animal Health Regulations must have been applied to the farm(s) officially declared infected with either VHS or IHN or both those listed diseases.

   The containment area must have been defined on a case-by-case basis taking into account factors influencing the risks for the spread of the listed disease to farmed and wild fish, such as: the number, rate and distribution of the mortalities of fish on the farm infected with either VHS or IHN or both; the distance and density of neighbouring farms; the proximity to slaughterhouses; contact farms; species present at the farms; the farming practices applied in the affected farms and in the neighbouring farms to the affected farms; the hydrodynamic conditions and other factors of epidemiological significance identified.

   For the establishment of the protection and surveillance zones, the following minimum requirements shall apply as regards the geographical demarcation of those zones:

   1. (i)

      a protection zone shall be established in the immediate vicinity of a farm officially declared infected with either VHS or IHN or both those listed disease and shall correspond to:

      1. (1)

         in coastal areas: an area included in a circle with a radius of at least one tidal excursion or at least 5 km, whichever is larger, centred on the farm officially declared infected with either VHS or IHN or both, or an equivalent area determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data;

      2. (2)

         in inland areas: the entire water catchment area of the farm officially declared infected with VHS or IHN or both; the competent authority may limit the extension of the zone to parts of the water catchment area, or the area of the farm, provided that the prevention of the spread of either VHS or IHN or both is not compromised;

   2. (ii)

      a surveillance zone shall be established by the competent authority outside the protection zone and shall correspond to:

      1. (1)

         in coastal areas: an area, surrounding the protection zone, of overlapping tidal excursion zones; or an area, surrounding the protection zone, and included in a circle of radius 10 km from the centre of the protection zone; or an equivalent area determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data;

      2. (2)

         in inland areas: as an extended area outside the established protection zone;

2. (b)

   all farms keeping susceptible species ... within the protection zone not officially declared infected with either VHS or IHN or both shall be subject to an official investigation comprising at least the following elements:

   1. (i)

      the collection of samples for testing of 10 fish, when clinical signs or post-mortem signs consistent with infection with either VHS or IHN or both are observed or minimum 30 fish, when clinical or post-mortem signs are not observed;

   2. (ii)

      one health inspection: in those farms where the tests referred to in (i) have produced negative results; health inspections shall continue once per month during the period when the water temperature is below 14 °C, except when fish ponds or net cages are covered with ice, until the protection zone is withdrawn in accordance with point I.2.2.1(c);

3. (c)

   all farms officially declared infected with either VHS or IHN or both shall be emptied, cleansed, disinfected and fallowed. The duration of the fallowing period shall be at least 6 weeks. When all farms officially declared infected within the same protection zone are emptied, at least 3 weeks of synchronised fallowing shall be carried out. This paragraph also applies to new farms officially declared infected during the implementation of the eradication programme.

   When fallowing of the officially declared infected farms is carried out, the protection zones shall be converted into surveillance zones.

   The competent authority may decide to require the emptying, cleansing, disinfection and fallowing of other farms within the established protection and surveillance zones. The length of the fallowing period for those farms shall be determined by the competent authority following a case-by-case risk evaluation;

4. (d)

   all farms officially declared infected with either VHS or IHN or both those listed diseases and all other farms fallowed within the established protection and surveillance zones as referred to in point (c), shall be restocked with fish F4from—

   1. (i)

      a constituent GB territory, zone or compartment with a Category 1 health status with regard to either VHS or IHN or both;

   2. (ii)

      any part of Northern Ireland which has Category 1 health status, within the meaning of Part A of Annex 3 to the EU Directive, in respect of either or both of those diseases;

   3. (iii)

      the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a third country, where the appropriate authority has consented to the restocking.

   Restocking shall only take place when all farms officially declared infected have been emptied, cleansed, disinfected and fallowed in accordance with point I.2.2.1(c);

5. (da)

   F5For the purposes of point (d)(iii), consent may only be given if the appropriate authority is satisfied that the disease risk posed by fish from that source is no greater than if they were from a source which would satisfy point (d)(i).

6. (e)

   all farms keeping susceptible species ... F6... within the constituent GB territory, zone or compartment covered by the eradication programme and when surveillance in wild populations is required, sampling points selected in accordance with point I.1, shall subsequently be subject to the surveillance scheme laid down in point I.2.1.