The Animals and Animal Products (Import and Export) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006

Regulation 17

SCHEDULE 7 APPROVAL OF QUARANTINE CENTRES AND QUARANTINE FACILITIES AND SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE QUARANTINE OF CAPTIVE BIRDS

PART I APPROVALS

1.  The Department may, if it is satisfied in all the circumstances that it is appropriate to do so, grant to a quarantine manager an approval in respect of—

(a) a quarantine centre for which it has charge and which at least meets the minimum conditions set out in Annex B of Commission Decision 2000/666/EC (in this Schedule, “the Decision”) in relation to quarantine centres and quarantine units; and

(b) a quarantine facility for which it has charge and which at least meets the minimum conditions set out in Annex B of the Decision in relation to quarantine facilities.

2.  Subject to the provisions of paragraph 4 of this Part, an approval shall expire at the end of 12 months from the date of its being granted unless—

(a) the transitional arrangements in Part IV apply;

(b) an earlier expiry date is provided for at the grant of an approval under paragraph 1; or

(c) it is revoked under regulation 2(6)(c).

3.  The Department shall give reasons in writing—

(a) for refusing an application for an approval provided for under this Schedule;

(b) for attaching conditions to an approval granted under this Schedule;

(c) for providing that such an approval shall expire earlier than 12 months from the date of its being granted.

4.  Notice of a revocation or suspension of an approval granted under this Schedule shall—

(a) take effect when it is served, unless otherwise stated in the notice;

(b) state—

(i) the reasons for the revocation or suspension, and

(ii) the time and date when it is to take effect;

(c) be served upon the quarantine manager—

(i) in person, or by leaving it at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility concerned; or

(ii) by post addressed to the quarantine manager at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility concerned, in which case it shall be deemed to be served at 12 noon on the second day after posting it; and

(d) be copied to the importer, and so far as is practicable, if the importer is not the owner of the birds concerned, to the owner of the birds kept at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility at the date the revocation or suspension is to take effect.

5.  Where an approval is revoked or is to be revoked and the continuation of quarantine at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility concerned would in the opinion of a veterinary inspector cause a significant public or animal health risk, he may issue directions by notice as to the movement or disposal of birds held in quarantine at the time the notice of revocation is stated to take effect, and such notice shall be served and copied to any importer and owner concerned as if it were a notice to which paragraph 4(c) and (d) applied.

PART II APPROVAL FEE

6.  The Department shall determine the approval fee on the basis of the cost of inspection by a Departmental veterinary inspector and associated administrative costs.

7.  The approval fee shall be payable to the Department in respect of each quarantine centre or quarantine facility for which an application is made and shall be non-refundable.

PART III SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE QUARANTINE OF CAPTIVE BIRDS WHICH QUARANTINE MANAGERS MUST ENSURE ARE MET

8.  In this Part “unit” in relation to a quarantine centre has the same meaning as it has in the Decision.

9.  Birds shall be quarantined for a period (“the quarantine period”) of at least 30 days at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility to which they have been conveyed from the border inspection post and in the case of a quarantine facility at which consignments arriving at different dates are quarantined, the quarantine period shall be extended to expire no sooner than 30 days after the last consignment arrived at the quarantine facility.

10.  A bird may not share a unit with any other bird at a quarantine centre unless that other bird arrived in the same consignment as the first bird, and in the event that one bird shares a unit with another, the quarantine period for any bird in the unit shall be extended to expire no sooner than 30 days after the last bird was placed in the unit.

11.  Psittaciformes shall be identified individually in accordance with the requirements of Part B of Chapter 2 of Annex B to the Decision.

12.  The use of sentinel chickens shall conform with Article 4(2) of the Decision.

13.  Suitable arrangements shall be made for the taking of samples by a veterinary inspector in accordance with Articles 4(1), (3), (4)(c) and (d), and (5) of the Decision.

14.  The presence or suspected presence of disease in a bird at a quarantine centre or quarantine facility, and the death of any bird during the quarantine period described in paragraphs 2 or 3 as the case may be shall be reported to the veterinary inspector supervising the quarantine centre or quarantine facility as soon as reasonably practical.

15.  A person shall not enter a quarantine centre or quarantine facility unless the quarantine manager in charge of the centre or facility is reasonably satisfied that person satisfies the condition in regulation 17(6)(a) and one of the criteria in regulation 17(6)(b).

16.  The destruction, cleansing and disinfection and post-infection sampling from sentinel chickens or other birds in other units (in the case of quarantine centres), and the restrictions on movements onto or off the quarantine centre or quarantine facility shall conform with Article 4(4) of the Decision, unless notice is served under regulation 19(2)(b).

17.  Cages and crates used for the transport of birds to the quarantine centre or quarantine facility shall be destroyed by the quarantine manager in such a way as to avoid the spread of disease, unless the cages or crates are made of a material which allows effective cleaning and disinfection, in which case they may be cleansed, disinfected and re-used.

18.  Litter and waste material from the quarantine centre or quarantine facility shall be collected, stored and treated as approved or required in writing by the official veterinarian in accordance with paragraph 9 of Part A of Chapter 2 of Annex B to the Decision and in any event so as to avoid spread of disease.

19.  A record shall be maintained and retained for at least one year—

(a) in respect of each consignment of the date, number and species of captive birds entering and leaving the quarantine centre or quarantine facility;

(b) of individual identification numbers of psittaciformes held at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility;

(c) of any significant observations as to the condition of captive birds during quarantine;

(d) of illness and number of deaths, recorded on a daily basis;

(e) of dates and results of veterinary tests carried out in respect of captive birds during quarantine;

(f) of dates and type of veterinary or other treatment administered to captive birds during quarantine; and

(g) of names of persons entering the quarantine centre or quarantine facility, including the authority by which entry was gained.

20.  A copy of the health certificate and the common veterinary entry document referred to in Article 3 of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 282/2004 which accompanies a captive bird upon import shall be kept for at least one year after the arrival of that captive bird at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility.