FOOT-AND-MOUTH - Foot-and-mouth disease in the Netherlands

Two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease were confirmed today in the Netherlands on two farms in the province of Gelderland and Overijsel. Protection and surveillance zones had already been set up around these farms and around two in-contact farms in Noord-Brabant and Gelderland. Further controls have been carried out in the farms located in the established zones.

Following the outbreak of the disease in the United Kingdom, on 8 March the Commission adopted restrictions on movements of animals susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease throughout the European Union. Such animals must not be taken to livestock markets or assembly points and all movement of such animals is prohibited, except for direct transport to abattoirs or direct transfers from one farm to another, subject to authorisation from the competent authorities both at the place of departure and destination. This measure is intended to ensure that the potential spread of the disease is kept to a minimum in the event of an outbreak of FMD outside the UK.

This existing ban on animal movements was reinforced by the Netherlands today. A total standstill throughout the Netherlands for any livestock, livestock transport vehicles and some products like manure was established. Milk collection can only take place subject to strong cleaning and disinfection conditions and not in the protection and surveillance zones.

The Commission and the Member States have however today decided to adopt supplementary interim Community protective measures. In particular, it will be prohibited:

• to move live susceptible animals (bovine, ovine, caprine and porcine species and other biungulates) and their germinal products from the Netherlands to other Member States and third countries;
• to dispatch products, notably fresh meat and meat products, milk and milk products, hides and skins and other animal products from the same species from the provinces Gelderland, Overijsel, Flevoland and Noord-Brabant to other Dutch regions, Member States and third countries, unless these products were obtained before 20 February 2001 or have been treated in a way that the risk of spreading the food-and-mouth disease virus is avoided (pasteurisation and heat-treatment of milk, heat treatment of meat products, treatment of skins and hides).

In addition, vehicles used for the transport of livestock and milk have to bedesinfected and some restrictions on the movement of equidea are put into place. These measures follow the approach already adopted in relation to the single outbreak of FMD in France.

The Commission is actively monitoring the situation with the full co-operation of the veterinary authorities in the Netherlands and in the Member States. The situation will be reviewed at a special meeting of the Standing Veterinary Committee on 23 March 2001. At this same meeting the possible resort to emergency vaccination in the affected areas in the Netherlands will be discussed.