Citation and commencement

1. This Order may be cited as the Control of Salmonella in Broiler Flocks Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 and comes into operation on 17^th June 2009.

Control of salmonella in broiler flocks scheme

2. For the purposes of keeping broiler flocks, so far as is practicable, free from Salmonella and controlling and, so far as practicable, reducing the incidence of Salmonella, the Department makes the Scheme set out in the Schedule to this Order.

Article 2

SCHEDULE CONTROL OF SALMONELLA IN BROILER FLOCKS SCHEME (NORTHERN IRELAND) 2009

Citation

1. This Scheme may be cited as The Control of Salmonella in Broiler Flocks Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2009 and comes into operation on 17^th June 2009.

Interpretation

2. In this Scheme–

"approved laboratory" means a laboratory approved by the Department for the purposes of this Order;

"broiler flock" means a flock kept for the production of meat intended for human consumption;

"the Department" means the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development;

"flock" means all chickens of the same health status kept on the same premises or in the same enclosure and constituting a single epidemiological unit and, in the case of housed chickens, includes all birds sharing the same airspace;

"holding" means any holding on which one or more broiler flocks of chickens are kept or are intended to be kept;

"occupier" means, in relation to any holding, the person in charge of the holding;

"chickens" means birds of the species Gallus gallus.

Competent authority

3. The Department is the competent authority for the purposes of–

(a) Commission Regulation (EC) No 646/2007(3) implementing Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 as regards a Community target for the reduction of the prevalence of Salmonella enteridis and Salmonella typhimurium in broilers and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1091/2005; and

(b) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1177/2006 implementing Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards requirements for the use of specific control methods in the framework of the national programmes for the control of salmonella in chickens(4).

Notification of broiler flocks

4.–(1) The occupier of the holding on which one or more broiler flocks are kept must notify the Department of the information in paragraph (4) of this article–

(a) within three months of the coming into operation of this Order; or

(b) in the case of such a holding established after the date this Order comes into operation, within three months of the establishment of the holding.

(2) The occupier must notify the Department of any change or addition to that information within three months of the change or addition.

(3) This article does not apply to any occupier who has notified the Department of that information under any other enactment.

(4) The information to be notified is –

(a) the name, address and telephone number of the holding;

(b) the name, address and telephone number of the occupier and of the person who owns each flock on the holding;

(c) the number of flocks on the holding;

(d) where there is more than one flock on the holding, the identification of each flock;

(e) the number of chickens in each flock.

(5) The occupier must notify the Department of the expected date of arrival at the holding of every flock at least two weeks before the expected date of arrival.

Sampling

5.–(1) The occupier must carry out sampling in accordance with points 1 and 2 of the Annex to Regulations (EC) No.646/2007 and must despatch samples to an approved laboratory in accordance with point 3.1 of that Annex (and for the purposes of that point "express post" includes first class post).

(2) In relation to each sample the occupier must provide the following information–

(a) the name of the occupier;

(b) the address of the holding;

(c) the type of samples;

(d) the date on which the samples were taken;

(e) the identification of the flock, where there is more than one flock on the holding;

(f) the date on which the flock moved onto the holding;

(g) the age of the flock.

Records of samples

6.–(1) The occupier must, as soon as is reasonably practicable after taking a sample, record–

(a) the type of sample taken;

(b) the date on which the sample was taken;

(c) where there is more than one flock on the holding, the identification of the flock from which the sample was taken;

(d) the age of the flock sampled;

(e) the laboratory to which the sample was sent;

(f) intended date of slaughter of the flock sampled.

(2) The occupier must record the result of each test when it is received from the laboratory.

Records of movements

7. When chickens are moved on to or off a holding the occupier must record for each flock–

(a) the date of the movement;

(b) whether the movement was on to or off the holding;

(c) the number of chickens moved;

(d) the age of the chickens moved;

(e) in the case of the movement of an entire flock, the identification of that flock, where there is more than one flock on the holding;

(f) the identity of the building or group of buildings in to or from which the chickens were moved;

(g) the address of the holding that they came from or the slaughterhouse or holding they were sent to.

Duties of the person in charge of a laboratory

8. Where a laboratory tests samples, the person in charge of the laboratory must ensure that they are tested in accordance with point 3 of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 646/2007.

Prohibition on the use of antimicrobials

9. A person may not administer any antimicrobial to any chickens as a specific method to control salmonella in breach of Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EC) 1177/2006 (use of antimicrobials).

Prohibition on the use of vaccines

10. A person may not administer any live salmonella vaccine to any chickens in breach of Article 3(1) of Commission Regulation (EC) 1177/2006 (use of vaccines).

Records

11. Any person required to keep a record under this Scheme must keep it for two years from the date it is made and must produce it on demand to an inspector or officer of the Department and allow a copy of it to be made or an extract from it to be taken.

Tampering with samples

12. A person must not tamper with a sample or do anything to it that is likely to affect the result of any test required to be carried out under this Scheme.

Powers of the Department in cases of default

13. If any person fails to take any action required by this Scheme, an inspector may arrange for such action to be taken at the expense of the person in default.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order enforces Commission Regulation (EC) No 646/2007 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1177/2006.

It makes provision for the registration of broiler flocks of birds of the species Gallus gallus, and imposes record-keeping requirements.

It makes provision for sampling broiler flocks of birds of the species Gallus gallus.

Breach of the Order is an offence under Article 52 of the Disease of Animals Order 1981.