Blue Tongue Order (Northern Ireland) 2003

Declaration of infected area

10.—(1) If the Department has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the disease exists in animals within Northern Ireland or within such part of Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland as may entail the risk of the introduction or spread of that disease into Northern Ireland, it may declare Northern Ireland or such area therein as may be specified in the declaration to be an area infected with the disease.

(2) A declaration under paragraph (1) –

(a) shall be made in writing and published in such manner and to such extent as it appears to the Department to be sufficient to bring the terms of the declaration to the attention of those persons likely to be affected by it;

(b) shall specify the date on which it shall come into operation and shall remain in operation until revoked by a further declaration made by the Department declaring the area concerned to be free from disease; and

(c) may be varied by the Department and such variation shall be in writing and published, so far as is practicable, in the same manner as the declaration.

(3) Any premises which are partly within an infected area shall be deemed to be wholly within that area.

(4) Nothing in paragraph (3) shall deem any area outside Northern Ireland to be part of an infected area.

(5) The Department may exhibit placards, handbills or warning notices in, or in the immediate neighbourhood of, an area declared to be infected under paragraph (1) advising of the fact of such declaration.

(6) A person shall not alter, remove, obliterate or deface any placard, handbill or warning notice referred to in paragraph (5).

(7) In an infected area a person shall not –

(a) move any animal, carcase, ovum, semen or embryo from the premises on which they are kept, or

(b) move any animal, carcase, ovum, semen or embryo on public or private roads (other than the service roads of premises),

except under and in accordance with the conditions of a licence granted by an inspector in accordance with the advice of the Chief Veterinary Officer.