In 2007, OIE adopted the Terrestrial Animal Health Code which includes guidelines for killing of animals in fighting against disease. These international standards are also taken into account by the Commission Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24 September 2009 on the protection of animals during slaughter, which introduces some important changes to the existing Directive 93/119/EC.
Depopulation often involves crisis management in which priorities must be addressed in parallel such as animal health, public health, the environment or animal welfare. While it is important that they meet the standards for animal welfare at every stage of the process of depopulation, it can happen in exceptional circumstances where compliance with these rules constitutes a risk to human health or significantly slow down the process of eradication of the disease, thus exposing a greater number of animals at risk of infection and death.
To this end, the new EU Regulation establishes that the Competent Authorities should increase the level of planning; the welfare of animals should be properly integrated into the plans for infectious diseases. Nevertheless, the Authorities should be allowed to derogate, case by case, to certain provisions of the regulation, if animal and/or public health situation requires the emergency killing of animals.