The Avian Influenza (H5N1 in Wild Birds) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007

PART I MOVEMENT OF BIRDS

Prohibition on the movement of poultry or other captive birds from premises in a wild bird control area

1.—(1) A person may not move poultry or other captive birds from premises in a wild bird control area except under the authority of and in accordance with the conditions of a licence granted by the Department.

(2) The Department may not grant a licence for a movement under sub-paragraph (1) unless it is for a movement of—

(a) poultry to any premises under official control in the wild bird control area or the wild bird monitoring area centred on the same outbreak point;

(b) ready-to-lay pullets or turkeys for fattening to premises in the United Kingdom;

(c) poultry to a designated slaughterhouse for slaughter;

(d) day-old chicks hatched from eggs collected within the wild bird control area to premises in the United Kingdom which are subject to the following conditions—

(i) appropriate biosecurity measures are applied during transport and at the holding of destination,

(ii) the holding of destination is placed under official surveillance following the arrival of day-old-chicks;

(e) day-old chicks hatched from eggs collected within the wild bird monitoring area centred on the same outbreak point as that control area to designated premises in the United Kingdom;

(f) day-old chicks hatched from eggs collected outside the wild bird control area or outside the wild bird monitoring area centred on the same outbreak point, to any designated premises.

(3) Sub-paragraphs (2)(d),(e) or (f) apply to the movement of day-old chicks from a hatchery in a wild bird control area whether or not those day-old chicks are hatched from eggs originating in the area in question.

(4) The Department may not grant a licence under sub-paragraph (2)(f) unless it is satisfied that there was no contact, at the hatchery from which the day-old chicks are being moved, between the eggs from which the day old chicks were hatched and any other hatching eggs or day-old chicks originating from poultry within the wild bird control area or wild bird monitoring area.

Restriction on movement of poultry from premises of destination

2.  If the Department grants a licence for a movement of—

(a) ready to lay pullets or turkeys for fattening under paragraph 1(2)(b); or

(b) day-old chicks to premises under paragraph 1(2)(d) outside the wild bird control area or the wild bird monitoring area centred on the same outbreak point,

the occupier of the premises to which they are moved must ensure that neither they nor any other poultry are moved off the premises for 21 days from the date when those ready to lay pullets, turkeys or day-old chicks arrived.

Slaughter of poultry

3.—(1) The occupier of a slaughterhouse to which poultry are moved in accordance with paragraph 1(2)(a) or 1(2)(c) must ensure that the poultry are slaughtered without delay.

(2) The occupier of a slaughterhouse which produces—

(a) fresh meat from poultry referred to in Part III paragraph 1(2)(c) which requires a licence for transport out of the wild bird control area to other parts of the United Kingdom under Part III paragraph 1; or

(b) fresh meat from such poultry for processing into processed fresh meat requiring such a licence or for incorporation into meat products requiring such a licence,

must ensure that the conditions in sub-paragraph (3) are fulfilled.

(3) The conditions are—

(a) poultry from premises in a wild bird control area must be kept separate from poultry from outside the wild bird control area;

(b) the poultry from within the area must be slaughtered separately or at different times from poultry from outside the area; and

(c) the part of the slaughterhouse, any equipment and any other thing which has been used for the slaughter or subsequent processing of poultry from within the area must be cleansed and disinfected in accordance with the instructions of an inspector before poultry from outside the wild bird control area are slaughtered in that part of the slaughterhouse, using that equipment or other thing.

Prohibition on the movement of poultry and other captive birds through a wild bird control area

4.—(1) A person shall not move poultry or other captive birds through a wild bird control area unless the movement is straight through the area on a major highway or railway.

(2) In this paragraph a movement “straight through” a wild bird control area means a movement into that area and then out of that area without stopping or unloading.