Government Decision No. HG73/2025 validating the Veterinary Sanitary Norm on the prevention, control and eradication of transmissible diseases in animals.

The Government Decision approves the Veterinary Sanitary Norm on the prevention, control and eradication of transmissible diseases in terrestrial and aquatic animals. It establishes animal health requirements for surveillance, prophylaxis and control of listed diseases, structured around categories of diseases (A, B and C) and differentiating between terrestrial animals, aquatic animals and wild fauna. The National Food Safety Agency is designated as the competent authority responsible for implementation of the provisions on animal health protection. The Norm details clinical examination procedures for terrestrial and aquatic animals, sampling strategies, minimum sample sizes and criteria based on species, production systems and epidemiological risk. It regulates laboratory diagnosis, including transport, labelling, documentation and biosafety conditions for samples, and requires testing in accredited laboratories using methods recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health. Extensive provisions govern preliminary control measures in case of suspicion of category A diseases in kept terrestrial animals: obligations of operators to isolate suspect animals, restrict movements, implement additional biosecurity, maintain records and cooperate with the competent authority. The Norm prescribes epidemiological investigations, temporary restriction zones, inventory analysis, and specific time-bound monitoring periods for each listed disease. Upon official confirmation of a category A outbreak, it mandates culling, disposal or processing of carcasses and animal by-products, cleaning, disinfection, vector control, and identification of epidemiologically linked holdings and products. The text further regulates the establishment and management of protection and surveillance zones around outbreaks, including minimum radii by disease, inventories of holdings, movement bans and possible preventive slaughter. It sets detailed derogation regimes for movements of animals, semen, embryos, meat, milk, eggs, feed and plant materials, subject to risk assessment, specific treatments and marking, and strict biosecurity and transport conditions. It defines conditions for repopulation of affected holdings, including final cleaning and disinfection, manure treatment, sanitary fallow, sentinel animals and follow-up clinical and laboratory surveillance. Separate chapters address control measures for wild terrestrial animals and for aquatic animals, including disease-specific provisions for molluscs, crustaceans and fish, establishment of restriction and infected zones, sanitary fallow periods, and surveillance schemes in annexes. For diseases of categories B and C in terrestrial and aquatic animals, the Norm refers to another Government-approved veterinary sanitary norm on surveillance, eradication programs and disease-free status. Overall, the instrument provides a comprehensive, highly operational framework for epizootic disease prevention, early detection, control and eradication aligned with EU animal health law.