Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

"carcase" means a pig carcase and includes part of a carcase;

"the disease" means African swine fever;

"Divisional Veterinary Officer" means a Divisional Veterinary Officer of the Department appointed for the time being by the Department to receive information about infected or suspected animals or carcases for the area in which such animals or carcases are located;

"farmed game handling facility" means any building, premises, or place, other than a slaughterhouse, used for the purpose of slaughtering farmed game, the flesh of which is intended for sale for human consumption;

"feral pig" means a pig which is not kept or bred on a holding and is not in a slaughterhouse, knacker's yard or means of transport;

"holding" means any place where any pig is bred or kept on a permanent or temporary basis or has been kept at anytime during the previous 56 days but does not include a slaughterhouse, knacker's yard or means of transport or fenced area where feral pigs are kept and may be hunted;

"infected" means infected with disease;

"knacker's yard" means any premises used in connection with the business of slaughtering, flaying or cutting up animals whose flesh is not intended for human consumption;

"meat" means the meat of a pig which is suitable for human consumption;

"pig" means an animal of the suidae family;

"pig product" means any product derived from the meat of a pig for human consumption;

"protection zone" means a protection zone established by the Department in accordance with Article 11;

"slaughterhouse" means any building, premises or place (other than a farmed game handling facility) for slaughtering animals the flesh of which is intended for sale for human consumption, and includes any place available in connection therewith for the confinement of animals while awaiting slaughter there;

"surveillance zone" means a surveillance zone established by the Department in accordance with Article 11;

"suspected" means suspected of being infected;

"temporary control zone" means a temporary control zone established by the Department in accordance with Article 10;

"vector" means a tick of the species Ornithodorus erraticus, or any other tick of the genus Ornithodorus which, in the opinion of the Chief Veterinary Officer, is capable of transmitting disease; and

"the virus" means the African swine fever virus.

    (2) For the purposes of this Order -

(a) a pig or carcase is suspected of being infected with the disease if it has clinical signs or post-mortem lesions consistent with the effects of the virus or if the results of a diagnostic test indicate the possible presence of the virus in that animal or carcase;

(b) a pig or carcase is infected with the disease if the Department determines that it is infected on the basis of clinical signs, post-mortem lesions or the result of a diagnostic test and any epidemiological circumstances.

(a) if the movement is in accordance with paragraphs 6 and 7;

(b) to the transport of pigs that were loaded on to a vehicle or train outside the protection zone and are transported through that zone without the vehicle being loaded or unloaded in the zone;

(c) to the movement or transport of pigs from outside the protection zone, with a view to immediate slaughter in a slaughterhouse situated within the protection zone, provided that movement or transport has been licensed by an inspector.

     3. A person shall not move out of the protection zone any vehicle which has been used to transport pigs within the zone, unless -

(a) it has been cleansed and disinfected and, if necessary, an acaricide is applied under the direction and supervision of an inspector; and

(b) the movement has been licensed by an inspector; or

(c) it has been driven through the zone without being loaded or unloaded.

     4. The occupier of a holding within the protection zone shall ensure that no other species of domestic animal enters or leaves that holding unless the movement is authorised by a licence issued by an inspector.

     5. A person shall not remove any pig semen, ova or embryos from a holding within the protection zone.

     6. A person shall not move any pig in the protection zone off the holding on which it is kept for at least 40 days after the completion of the preliminary cleansing and disinfection of and any application of an acaricide to the infected holding and, thereafter a person shall not move any pig unless licensed to do so by an inspector.

     7. Where a holding has -

(a) been within a protection zone for longer than 40 days as a result of one outbreak of disease succeeding another; and

(b) this has given rise to welfare or other problems in keeping the pigs on the holding,

pigs may be moved off the holding provided that any such movement is authorised by a licence issued by an inspector.

Reduction of periods of waiting
     8. If the Chief Veterinary Officer is satisfied following a sampling and testing programme that the disease no longer exists on the holding in question, the period of 40 days referred to in paragraphs 6 and 7 may by notice be reduced to 30 days.

Notification of pig deaths on a holding
     9. The occupier of any holding within the protection zone shall notify the appropriate Divisional Veterinary Officer about any dead or infected pig on his holding.

Bio-security
     10. The person in charge of any vehicle or equipment used for the transport of pigs, other livestock or material which may have been contaminated with the virus (for example, carcases, feed, manure, and slurry) shall ensure that it is cleansed and disinfected or otherwise treated as soon as possible after use and before it is used again, in accordance with the directions of an inspector.

     11. A person shall not enter or leave any holding within the protection zone wearing clothing or footwear which are visibly contaminated with mud, slurry, animal faeces, droppings or excretions or any other similar matter except that such person may cleanse and disinfect the outer surfaces of their footwear on entering or leaving the holding.

(a) to the transport of pigs that were loaded on to a vehicle outside the surveillance zone and are transported through that zone without the vehicle being loaded or unloaded in the zone; or

(b) to the movement or transport of pigs from outside the surveillance zone with a view to immediate slaughter in a slaughterhouse situated within the surveillance zone provided that movement or transport has been licensed by an inspector.

     14. A person shall not move any livestock vehicle from the surveillance zone if it has been used to transport pigs, unless it has first been cleansed and disinfected and, if necessary, an acaricide has been applied or unless it has been driven through the zone without being loaded or unloaded.

     15. The occupier of any holding within the surveillance zone shall ensure that no other species of domestic animal enters or leaves that holding within 7 days of the establishment of that zone unless licensed to do so by an inspector.

     16. A person shall not remove any pig semen, ovum or embryo from a holding within the surveillance zone.

Movement of pigs
     17. A person shall not move any pig off a holding in the surveillance zone for at least 30 days after the completion of the preliminary cleansing and disinfection of and any application of an acaricide to the infected holding and thereafter a person shall not move any pig unless licensed to do so by an inspector.

     18. Where a holding has -

(a) been within a surveillance zone for more than 40 days as a result of one outbreak of disease succeeding another; and

(b) this has given rise to welfare or other problems in keeping the pigs on the holding,

pigs may be moved off that holding provided that the movement is licensed by an inspector.

Reduction of periods of waiting
     19. If the Chief Veterinary Officer is satisfied following a sampling and testing programme that the disease no longer exists on the holding in question, the period of 30 days referred to in paragraph 17 may by notice be reduced to 21 days and the period of 40 days referred to in paragraph 18 may be so reduced to 30 days.

Bio-security
     20. The person in charge of any vehicle or equipment used for the transport of pigs, other livestock or material which may have been contaminated with the virus (for example, carcases, feed, manure and slurry) shall ensure that it is cleansed and disinfected or otherwise treated as soon as possible after use and before it is used again, in accordance with the directions of an inspector.

     21. A person shall not enter or leave any holding within the surveillance zone wearing clothing or footwear which are visibly contaminated with mud, slurry, animal faeces, droppings or excretions or any other similar matter except that such person may cleanse and disinfect the outer surfaces of their footwear on entering or leaving the holding.

Notification of deaths of pigs on a holding
     22. The occupier of any holding within the surveillance zone shall notify the appropriate Divisional Veterinary Officer about any dead or infected pigs on his holding.

(a) all the pigs on the holding are restricted to their living quarters or to some other part of the holding where they can be isolated from feral pigs; and

(b) feral pigs are prevented from gaining access to any material that might come into contact with the pigs on the holding.

Movement of pigs
     3. A person shall not move a pig on to or off a holding unless licensed to do so by an inspector.

Bio-security
     4. The occupier shall ensure that appropriate means of disinfection and, if necessary, application of an acaricide are provided and used at the entrances and exits of those parts of the holding in which pigs are being kept and of the holding itself.

Dead or diseased pigs
     5. The occupier shall ensure that he notifies the appropriate Divisional Veterinary Officer of any feral pigs that die on the holding and shall retain the carcases of such animals on the holding until a veterinary inspector has notified him that he no longer needs to do so.

Feral pigs
     6. A person shall not bring on to a holding in the infected area -

(a) the carcase or any part of a feral pig; or

(b) any material or equipment which could have had contact with a feral pig in the infected area.

(a) requires any person who suspects that a pig or carcase is infected with African swine fever (the disease) to notify the appropriate Divisional Veterinary Officer and imposes restrictions on the movement of pigs or carcases or other things from the holding (Article 4);

(b) requires a veterinary inspector to serve a notice imposing the requirements set out in the notice to be complied with in circumstances where he suspects the disease may exist (Article 5);

(c) permits a veterinary inspector to serve a further notice imposing additional restrictions to those required by Article 5 (Article 6);

(d) where the presence of the disease is confirmed on a holding, requires a veterinary inspector to serve a notice on the occupier of the holding requiring him to ensure that the restrictions and requirements in Article 5 and any applicable requirements of Article 6 are carried out (Article 7);

(e) sets out the measures which must be taken where the disease is confirmed in a slaughterhouse, knacker's yard or on a means of transport (Article 8);

(f) sets out the action that should be taken where it is suspected that the disease may have been transferred to or from the infected or suspected holding to or from another holding (Article 9);

(g) provides for the establishment of temporary control zones (Article 10);

(h) requires the Department, on confirmation of disease, to establish an infected area around an outbreak site of the disease and provides for this area to be split into a protection and a surveillance zone (Article 11 and Schedule 1);

(i) sets out requirements for cleansing and disinfection (Article 12);

(j) sets out the measures to be taken where the disease is suspected or confirmed in feral pigs (Articles 13 and 14 and Schedule 2);

(k) generally prohibits the use of the African swine fever vaccine (Article 15);

(l) gives power to an inspector to take action to ensure that the requirements of this Order are carried out where any person fails to comply with those restrictions and requirements (Article 16);

(m) requires the production of licences on demand made by an inspector or a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (Article 17);

(n) provides the specifics as to the exercise of certain of the powers of inspectors and veterinary inspectors (Article 18).