Assessment of the control measures for category A diseases of Animal Health Law: Lumpy Skin Disease

EFSA received a mandate from the EC to assess the effectiveness of some of the control measuresagainst diseases included in the Category A list according to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 ontransmissible animal diseases (‘Animal Health Law’). This opinion belongs to a series of opinions wherethese control measures are assessed, with this opinion covering the assessment of control measuresfor Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). In this opinion, EFSA and the AHAW Panel of experts review theeffectiveness of: i) clinical and laboratory sampling procedures, ii) monitoring period and iii) theminimum radius of the protection and surveillance zones, and the minimum length of time thatmeasures should be applied in these zones. The general methodology used for this series of opinionshas been published elsewhere; nonetheless, the transmission kernels used for the assessment of theminimum radius of the protection and surveillance zones are shown. Several scenarios for which thesecontrol measures had to be assessed were designed and agreed prior to the start of the assessment.The monitoring period was assessed as effective, and based on the transmission kernels available, itwas concluded that the protection zone of 20 km radius and the surveillance zone of 50 km radiuswould comprise>99% of the transmission from an affected establishment if transmission occurred.Recommendations provided for each of the assessed scenarios aim to support the EuropeanCommission in the drafting of further pieces of legislation, as well as for plausible ad hoc requests inrelation to LSD.