The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease, in collaboration with the Special Committee on Biorisk Management (SCBRM), as part of Focus Objective 2, has established a biorisk evaluation and advice system for laboratories handling FMD virus (“Tier D” facilities) to ensure the application of the FMD Minimum Biorisk Management Standards (MBRMS). 

A FMD Tier D community of practice (CoP) has been established, coordinated by EuFMD and composed of SCBRM members and biorisk officers of the Tier D laboratories. The evaluation and advice system involves teams of CoP members visiting each Tier D facility in Member Nations, assessing the facility’s application of the MBRMS, and providing advice on any required changes or improvements.   

The visit has the following objectives to:   

•assess the adherence to the MBRMS by completing the MBRMS visit checklist;   

•gain experience in the facility visit process;   

•establish the suitability of the current checklist; 

•provide support and guidance to the CoP visiting team; 

•use observations and feedback to inform future visits and finetune the process.