The Control of Salmonella in Poultry Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2008

Paragraphs 10 and 11

ANNEX 2

Method of sampling chicks

1.—(1) An occupier who samples chicks under this Schedule must take—

(a) 1 chick box liner, or hatcher tray liner, for every 500 chicks delivered from each hatchery, up to a maximum of 10; and

(b) the carcases of all chicks, up to a maximum of 60, from each hatchery that are dead on arrival at the holding.

(2) In this paragraph—

(a) “chick box liner” means any material used to line a box or other container in which chicks are transported from the hatchery to the holding

(b) “hatcher tray liner” means any material used to line a box, tray or other container in which eggs are incubated or hatched.

Sampling of four-week-old birds etc.

2.—(1) An occupier must use the methods set out in this paragraph when sampling—

(a) in the case of breeding flocks, four-week-old birds; and

(b) in the case of both breeding flocks and laying flocks, birds two weeks before the date they are moved to a laying unit or (if they are not moved) the date they are expected to come into lay.

(2) The sample must consist of—

(a) a minimum of two pairs of boot swabs; or

(b) a composite faeces sample.

(3) In this paragraph, “a composite faeces sample” means a sample of faeces consisting of at least sixty samples each of which weighs not less than 1 gram and each of which is taken from a site selected at random to represent the flock from which it is taken.

Method of sampling during the laying period

3.  Samples taken during the laying period must be taken in accordance with point 2.2.2.1 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1003/2005 (in the case of breeding flocks) or point 2.2 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1168/2006 (in the case of laying flocks).