Division I.2.2.1 General requirements

A F1constituent GB territory, zone or a compartment that has Category V health status with regard WSD may achieve Category I health status with regard to that listed disease when all farms keeping susceptible species F2... within the constituent GB territory, zone or the compartment have been subject at least to the following eradication programme:

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 WSD.

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

   For the establishment of the protection and surveillance zones, the following minimum requirements shall apply:

   1. (i)

      a protection zone shall be established in the immediate vicinity of a farm officially declared infected with WSD and shall correspond to:

      1. (1)

         in marine and estuarine areas: the 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 WSD, or an equivalent area determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data; or

      2. (2)

         in freshwaters: the entire water catchment area of the farm officially declared infected with WSD; the competent authority may limit the extension of the protection zone to parts of the water catchment area provided that the prevention of the spread of WSD is not compromised;

   2. (ii)

      a surveillance zone shall be established outside the protection zone and shall correspond:

      1. (1)

         in marine 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 a radius of 10 km from the centre of the protection zone; or an equivalent area determined according to appropriate hydrodynamic or epidemiological data; or

      2. (2)

         in freshwaters: 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 WSD shall be subject to an official investigation comprising at least the following:

   1. (i)

      the collection of samples for testing of 10 crustaceans, when clinical signs or post-mortem signs consistent with infection WSD are observed, or 150 crustaceans, when clinical or post-mortem signs are not observed; and

   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 season when the water temperature is likely to reach its highest annual points, until the protection zone has been withdrawn in accordance with point I.2.2.1(c).

3. (c)

   all farms officially declared infected with WSD 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 are emptied, at least 3 weeks of synchronised fallowing shall be carried out. This paragraph shall also apply 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 that fallowing period shall be determined by the competent authority following a case by case risk evaluation.

4. (d)

   all farms officially declared infected and all other farms fallowed within the established protection and surveillance zones shall be restocked:

   1. (i)

      with crustaceans F4from—

      1. (aa)

         a constituent GB territory, zone or compartment with a Category 1 health status with regard to WSD;

      2. (bb)

         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 WSD;

      3. (cc)

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

   2. (ii)

      F5...

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

5. (da)

   F6For the purposes of point (d)(i)(cc), consent may only be given if the appropriate authority is satisfied that the disease risk posed by crustaceans from that source is no greater than if they were from a source which would satisfy point (d)(i)(aa).

6. (e)

   all farms keeping susceptible species ... F7... 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 the second paragraph of point 2 of Part I of Annex V to that Directive, must subsequently be subject at least to the programme laid down in point I.2.1.