# Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1554 of 11 September 2015 laying down rules for the application of Directive 2006/88/EC as regards requirements for surveillance and diagnostic methods (notified under document C(2015) 6188) (Text with EEA relevance), Division I.2.2: Eradication programmes

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

The eradication of Marteilia refringens is considered to be impossible in most cases, but where the appropriate authority judges it to be feasible, the following model for an eradication programme shall apply.
A constituent GB territory, zone or compartment that has Category V health status as regards infection with Marteilia refringens may achieve Category I health status with regard to that listed disease when all farms or mollusc farming areas keeping susceptible species ... within that constituent GB territory, zone or compartment have been subject at least to the following eradication programme:
(a)the measures laid down in Part 4 of the Aquatic Animal Health Regulations must have been applied to the farm(s) or mollusc farming area(s) officially declared infected with Marteilia refringens.
The containment area shall be defined on a case-by-case basis taking into account factors influencing the risks for the spread of Marteilia refringens, such as: the number, age, rate and distribution of the mortalities of molluscs on the farm or mollusc farming area infected with Marteilia refringens including wild molluscs; the distance and density of neighbouring farms or mollusc farming areas including wild molluscs; the proximity to processing establishments, contact farms or mollusc farming areas; the species, especially susceptible species and vector species, present at the farms or mollusc farming areas; the farming practices applied in the affected and neighbouring farms and mollusc farming areas; 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:
(i)a protection zone shall be established in the immediate vicinity of a farm or mollusc farming area officially declared infected with Marteilia refringens and shall correspond to an area determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data;
(ii)a surveillance zone shall be established outside the protection zone and shall correspond to an area, surrounding the protection zone, determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data;
(b)all farms and mollusc farming areas keeping susceptible species ... within the protection zone not officially declared infected with Marteilia refringens shall be subject to an official investigation comprising at least the collection of samples for the testing of 150 molluscs after the beginning of the transmission period of Marteilia refringens. When the transmission period is not known, the sampling shall begin in the period after the temperature of the water exceeds 17 °C;
(c)all farms and mollusc farming areas officially declared infected with Marteilia refringens shall be emptied, fallowed and if possible cleansed, and disinfected.
The duration of the fallowing period shall be at least:
(i)2 months in case of the farms and mollusc farming areas with limited connections with the surrounding waters such as hatcheries and nurseries;
(ii)2 months in case of the farms and mollusc farming areas with unlimited connections with the surrounding waters provided that the infected molluscs of the susceptible species and those molluscs of the susceptible species with epidemiological links with the infected farm or mollusc farming area have been harvested or removed before the period of the year when the prevalence of Marteilia refringens is known to be maximal, or when that period is not known, before the period when water temperature exceeds 17 °C;
(iii)14 months in case of the farms and mollusc farming areas with unlimited connections with the surrounding waters provided that the infected molluscs of the susceptible species and those molluscs of the susceptible species with epidemiological links with the infected farm or mollusc farming area have not been harvested or removed before the period of the year when the prevalence of Marteilia refringens is known to be maximal or when such data is not known, when molluscs of the susceptible species have not been harvested or removed before the period when water temperature exceeds 17 °C.
When all farms and mollusc farming areas officially declared infected are emptied, at least 4 weeks of synchronised fallowing shall be carried out.
The competent authority may decide to require the emptying, cleansing, disinfection and fallowing of other farms or mollusc farming areas, as appropriate within the established protection and surveillance zones. The length of the fallowing period shall be determined by the competent authority following a case by case risk evaluation;
(d)all farms or mollusc farming areas officially declared infected and all other farms or mollusc farming areas fallowed within the established protection and surveillance zones shall be restocked with molluscs from—
(i)a constituent GB territory, zone or compartment with a Category 1 health status with regard to Marteilia refringens;
(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 Marteilia refringens;
(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(c);
(da)For the purposes of point (d)(iii), consent may only be given if the appropriate authority is satisfied that the disease risk posed by molluscs from that source is no greater than if they were from a source which would satisfy point (d)(i).
(e)all farms and mollusc farming areas keeping susceptible species ... ... within the constituent GB territory, zone or compartment covered by the eradication programme shall subsequently be subject to the surveillance scheme set out in point I.2.1 of this Part.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2015/1554/annex/I/part/4/division/I/division/I.2/division/I.2.2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2015-1554/annex-I/part-4/division-I/division-I.2/division-I.2.2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.