Foot-and-Mouth Disease (England) Order 2006
What this means for your business
- Enforced by
- APHA
- Applies to
- United Kingdom
- On this page
- 29 compliance obligations, 1 practical guide
What you must do
29 compliance obligations under this legislation.
Equipment and safety 1
Provide facilities and equipment for vehicle cleansing and disinfection
If your premises are required to clean and disinfect vehicles under the FootâandâMouth Disease Order, you must, at your own cost, make sure suitable washing facilities, the right equipment and disinfectants are available on site. In practice this means setting up a wash bay or similar area and keeping the necessary supplies so vehicles can be properly decontaminated whenever the order demands it.
Inspections 2
Allow veterinary inspections and keep required animal health records
If you keep livestock or other susceptible animals on premises that fall inside a footâandâmouth disease protection or surveillance zone, you must let a veterinary inspector visit as often as they think is needed. You also need to have the animal health and movement records (as set out in ScheduleâŻ5) ready for the inspector to check.
Cooperate with diseaseâcontrol investigations after being notified
Unlimited fineIf you own or run a farm or other animal premises, the government can declare your premises a suspect or contact site if thereâs a risk of footâandâmouth disease spreading. Once you receive a notice, you must allow veterinary inspections and work with authorities to find out whether the disease is present. The order puts the responsibility on you to help in the investigation so that the disease can be contained quickly.
Management duties 14
Carry and produce movement licence and keep records
If you hold a licence to move footâandâmouthâdiseaseâsusceptible animals, you must have the licence with you while carrying out the authorised activity and show it to an inspector if asked. When you unload the animals, you must give the licence to the occupier of the receiving premises. The occupier must forward the licence to the local authority, keep a copy for six months and produce it on demand, and for collecting centres must also ensure sheep are marked or tagged as directed.
Clean and disinfect premises and wait 24âŻhrs before restocking
If you run a slaughterhouse or a border inspection post and the Secretary of State orders the slaughter of animals, you must clean and disinfect every building, piece of equipment, vehicle and any other item that could be contaminated, following the steps set out in ScheduleâŻ3. After the final cleaning you must not bring any new susceptible animals onto the site until at least 24âŻhours have passed. This means planning downtime, carrying out the cleaning promptly and keeping records to prove it was done.
Cleanse and disinfect premises after animal slaughter
If your premises are used to slaughter animals under the FootâandâMouth Disease Order, you must immediately clean and disinfect every part of the building, vehicles and any areas used by animals that could be contaminated. You also have to clean any humanâonly areas that you suspect may be contaminated. This keeps the disease from spreading to other livestock and people.
Cleanse and disinfect vehicles transporting susceptible animals
If your business moves livestock that could catch footâandâmouth disease, you must clean and disinfect the vehicle. The cleaning has to be done before the animals are loaded, after they are unloaded (and before you leave the destination), and the wheels/wheel arches must be cleaned after loading before leaving the origin. Follow the method set out in ScheduleâŻ2 of the 2003 Order and any extra directions an inspector gives you.
Comply with entry prohibition notices in protection zones
If a footâandâmouth disease protection zone is declared and an inspector displays a notice, you must not go onto the land or into any agricultural building that the notice covers, unless you are the animal owner, have the landownerâs permission, or hold a licence. You also must not remove or alter the notice unless an inspector tells you to.
Comply with footâandâmouth disease restrictions in a restricted zone
If your business moves, slaughters, handles or disposes of susceptible animals, carcasses or related products in a restricted zone, you must do it only under a licence and follow strict cleaning, disinfection and timing rules. This includes preventing animals from straying, not holding animal gatherings, and ensuring slaughtered animals are dealt with within 24âŻhours.
Dispose or treat animal products from infected premises when notified
If your business holds milk, meat, carcasses, hides, wool, semen, embryos or similar items that came from a farm infected with footâandâmouth disease, the government will trace those products and send you a notice. You must then arrange for the items to be treated to destroy the virus or disposed of as directed.
Do not move animal carcasses without a licence and dispose promptly
If the Secretary of State has ordered the slaughter of susceptible animals on your premises, you must not move any carcasses unless you have a licence specifically authorising that movement. You must arrange for the carcasses to be disposed of as quickly as possible, following any notice the Secretary of State gives you.
Do not move animals in a supplementary movement control zone except permitted cases
Unlimited fineIf a supplementary movement control zone has been declared for any of your animals, you must not move those animals in or out of the zone unless you are simply passing through, completing a journey that started before the zone was created, or moving a horse to a vet under a licence. For the horseâtoâvet exemption you must first obtain a licence from the animal health inspector.
Do not move faecal material without a licence
If your premises have had animals slaughtered under the FootâandâMouth Disease Order, you must not transport any dung, manure, slurry or used litter from those premises unless you hold a licence from the Secretary of State. The only other exception is material from a licensed slaughterhouse or border post that is treated under the relevant EU regulations, also with a licence.
Follow required procedures when restocking livestock after footâandâmouth disease
If you run a farm or any premises that keep livestock and you want to bring new animals back after a footâandâmouth disease outbreak, you must meet the conditions set by the Secretary of State, carry out regular health checks and laboratory tests, keep the animals onâsite (no moving them elsewhere) and keep records until the authorities confirm the restocking is complete.
Implement footâandâmouth disease control measures on premises
If footâandâmouth disease is suspected or confirmed on your farm or other livestock premises, you must put in place a range of controls. This includes keeping upâtoâdate animal and product records, displaying âKeep Outâ signs, isolating or removing animals as instructed, stopping unauthorised movement of animals, feed, waste and people, providing cleaningâdisinfection facilities and controlling rodents. All of these steps must be carried out promptly and continuously until the disease risk has ended.
Provide feeding facilities and care for animals left on your premises
If a footâandâmouth restriction ends and the animal keeper cannot move their livestock or poultry off your site, you must let them access the premises, give them any feeding or tending facilities they need, and, if they are unable or unwilling to look after the animals, you must ensure the animals are fed and cared for. You can charge the keeper reasonable costs for any help you provide.
Respond to a disease notice and follow the control plan
If an animalâhealth inspector thinks you may have footâandâmouth disease, they'll give you a notice right away. That notice means you must start following the diseaseâcontrol steps set out in ScheduleâŻ1 of the order â usually involving disinfection, isolation of animals and restricting movements. Acting promptly keeps your animals safe and stops the disease from spreading to other farms.
Other requirements 5
Comply with any notice or direction and pay the costs
If you are served a notice or given a direction under the FootâandâMouth Disease (England) Order, you must follow it and you will have to cover any costs involved, unless the notice itself says otherwise. In practice this means acting on any official instruction you receive (for example, movement restrictions or cleaning orders) and keeping the expense within your business.
Comply with inspector's diseaseâcontrol notice for animals in transit
If an animal being moved is suspected of footâandâmouth disease, an inspector can order you to stop the journey, move the animal (and any other animals in the same vehicle) to a location they choose, and detain any vehicle or equipment. You must follow those directions straight away, clean and disinfect the vehicle or equipment as instructed and accept any restrictions placed on the premises where the animals are taken.
Do not tamper with FMD marks without inspectorâs authority
Unlimited fineIf your business deals with animals, carcasses, animal products, vehicles or any other items that have been marked under the FootâandâMouth Disease (England) Order, you must keep those marks intact. You may only remove, cover up or erase a mark if an inspector has given you written permission.
Provide prompt assistance and information to officials
If a veterinary officer or other person acting under the FootâandâMouth Disease Order asks you for help or information, you must give it straight away unless you have a good reason not to. This means cooperating promptly with any inspection, testing or control measures they require.
Stay informed of declared footâandâmouth disease zones
If a footâandâmouth disease control zone (temporary, protection, surveillance, etc.) is declared, you must make sure you know about any restrictions that apply to your activities. You can only avoid liability if you can prove you had no way of reasonably finding out about the restriction.
Offences and prohibitions 1
Corporate liability for footâandâmouth disease offences via officer consent or neglect
If your company commits an offence under the FootâandâMouth Disease Act and a director, manager or other officer knowingly consents, helps, or is negligent, both the company and that officer can be prosecuted. The same penalties that apply to the original offence â fines and possibly imprisonment â will apply to both. The rule also treats members who run the company as officers for this purpose.
Record keeping 3
Keep livestock records and isolate animals in a temporary control zone
If a temporary footâandâmouth disease control zone is declared, you cannot move livestock except for limited reasons. If the Secretary of State adds extra measures, you must keep a detailed record of the animals on your premises, keep them isolated as required, and follow the infectionâcontrol rules set out in the Schedule. In practice this means maintaining a logbook and ensuring your animals are securely separated while the zone is in force.
Provide requested records promptly and allow copying
If a person acting under the FootâandâMouth Disease Order asks you for any record, you must hand it over without delay. You must let them copy the records or take them away (with a written receipt for any items removed). In practice this means keeping your records organised and ready for inspection at short notice.
Retain required footâandâmouth disease records for the prescribed period
If you make any record that the FootâandâMouth Disease (England) Order says you must keep, you have to hold onto that record for the time set out in the Order. Usually this is six years, or three years after the recordâkeeping requirement ends, but a record that only shows a vehicle was cleaned and disinfected only needs to be kept for six months.
Registration and licensing 2
Obtain licence and authorisation to handle live footâandâmouth disease virus
If your business runs a laboratory that works with live footâandâmouth disease virus, you must first obtain a licence under the Specified Animal Pathogens Order 2008 and only operate if the Secretary of State has either named you as the national reference laboratory for FMD or given you specific authorisation. You cannot handle the live virus without this permission and must follow any conditions attached to the licence.
Obtain licence before restocking premises after slaughter
If the government has ordered you to slaughter animals on a premises, you cannot put new livestock back on that land until you have a licence from the Secretary of State. The licence will only be issued after the required cleaning period â either one year or 21 days, depending on the type of premises â has passed.
Reporting and filing 1
Provide only accurate information to officials
When you give information to someone acting under the FootâandâMouth Disease Order (for example a veterinary officer or inspector), you must be sure it is correct and not misleading. Supplying false or deceptive details is a criminal offence, so always check facts before you respond.
Penalties for non-compliance
4 penalties under this legislation. 3 carry an unlimited fine.
Cooperate with diseaseâcontrol investigations after being notified
Unlimited fine
Do not move animals in a supplementary movement control zone except permitted cases
Unlimited fine
Do not tamper with FMD marks without inspectorâs authority
Unlimited fine
Corporate liability for footâandâmouth disease offences via officer consent or neglect
Penalty applies
Practical guidance
Our guides explain how to comply with the requirements above.
Sections and provisions
66 classified provisions from this legislation.
Duties 34
- Schedule 1 Measures applicable in respect of premises on suspicion and confirmation of disease person subject
- Schedule 4 Restocking of premises animal
- Schedule 7 Measures applicable in respect of a restricted zone vehicle used
- s.10 Notice of suspicion of disease
- s.11 Suspicion of disease in animals in transit animal with it
- s.12 Veterinary inquiry into the existence of disease and declaration of suspect premises and infected premises premises the officer investigating
- s.14 Tracing of possible disease spread premises declared
- s.17 Measures applicable in respect of a temporary control zone susceptible animal from or
- s.20 Measures applicable in respect of a supplementary movement control zone person
- s.21 Tracing of products originating on infected premises other item referred
- s.23 Sampling and clinical examination of susceptible animals before slaughter she
- s.25 Slaughter: control of carcases person
- s.26 Slaughter: control of faecal material person
- s.28 Slaughter: cleansing and disinfection of premises other than slaughterhouses and border inspection posts vehicle used
- s.29 Slaughter: cleansing and disinfection of slaughterhouses and border inspection posts vehicle used
- s.30 Restocking of premises following slaughter person
- s.32 Declaration of protection zones and surveillance zones on confirmation of disease in Scotland or Wales
- s.35 Veterinary inspection of premises in protection zones and surveillance zones The Secretary of State
- s.36 Power to prohibit entry to land or agricultural buildings in a protection zone entrance
- s.42 Production of licences premises
- ... and 14 more duties
Powers 13
- s.13 Separate production units
- s.16 Declaration of a temporary control zone
- s.18 Supplementary measures in respect of a temporary control zone: straying of susceptible animals
- s.19 Declaration of supplementary movement control zone
- s.31 Declaration of protection zones and surveillance zones on confirmation of disease in England
- s.34 Measures applicable in respect of protection zones and surveillance zones
- s.37 Amendment and revocation of declarations creating protection zones and surveillance zones
- s.39 Measures applicable in respect of a restricted zone
- s.40 Presence of disease in wild animals and declaration of a wild animal infected zone
- s.41 Measures applicable in a wild animal infected zone
- s.55 General powers of veterinary inspectors to take action to prevent the spread of disease
- s.56 Powers of inspectors in case of default
- s.59 Enforcement