Order No. OANSA124/2025 of the National Food Safety Agency “On some special protection measures against Foot and Mouth Disease”.

This Order establishes special veterinary-sanitary protection measures against Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the context of its re-emergence in countries previously considered free of the disease. The stated purpose is to prevent the introduction and spread of FMD on the national territory, particularly through imports of live animals. The Order requires that all live domestic animals susceptible to FMD (cattle, sheep, goats, swine) imported for maintenance, rearing, reproduction or immediate slaughter, as well as wild animal species destined for zoos and animal collections, be tested for FMD antibodies. For each lot of animals, at least one blood serum sample composed from up to five animals must be taken under the supervision of an official veterinary doctor from the veterinary sanitary surveillance section. Animals intended for maintenance, rearing and reproduction may be released from quarantine only after presentation of laboratory test results. Veterinarians designated at slaughterhouses may decide on the placing on the market of meat from imported animals for immediate slaughter only after laboratory results are available. The costs of the tests are to be borne by economic agents. The Order assigns institutional responsibilities for notification, training and surveillance. Heads of border inspection posts must obligatorily notify territorial food safety subdivisions of each import of the specified animal species according to their destination. Heads of veterinary surveillance sections must organize training for official veterinarians, private veterinarians, veterinary assistants, slaughterhouse veterinarians, farm veterinarians and farmers on the clinical picture, epidemiology and necessary measures in case of FMD suspicion, with minutes drawn up for the trainings. Territorial food safety subdivisions must obligatorily notify the Directorate for animal health and welfare, via a specified email and telephone number, of any suspected FMD case. Control over implementation is entrusted to the deputy director general of the Agency.