The Animals and Animal Products (Import and Export) (Scotland) Regulations 2007

Regulation 20(1) to (5) and (9)(a) and (b)

SCHEDULE 8 APPROVAL OF QUARANTINE CENTRES AND QUARANTINE FACILITIES AND SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE QUARANTINE OF CAPTIVE BIRDS

PART I General

Approvals

1.  Any reference to “the Decision” in this Schedule is a reference to Commission Decision 2000/666/EC.

2.  The Scottish Ministers may, if they are satisfied in all the circumstances that it is appropriate to do so, grant an approval in respect of–

(a) a quarantine centre which at least meets the minimum conditions set out in Annex B of the Decision in relation to quarantine centres and quarantine units; and

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

3.  Subject to the provisions of paragraph 4 of this Part, an approval shall expire at the end of 12 months from the date it was granted unless–

(a) the transitional arrangements of Part IV apply;

(b) an earlier expiry date is provided for; or

(c) it is revoked under regulation 1(5).

4.  The Scottish Ministers shall give reasons in writing–

(a) for refusing to grant an approval provided for in this Schedule;

(b) for providing that such an approval shall expire earlier than 12 months from the date on which it was granted.

5.  Notice of a revocation or suspension of an approval granted under this Schedule shall–

(a) state–

(i) the reasons for the revocation, and

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

(b) be served upon the quarantine manager–

(i) in person, or

(ii) by leaving it at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility concerned; or

(iii) by post addressed to the quarantine manager at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility concerned; and

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

6.  Where an approval is 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, the veterinary inspector 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 upon the quarantine manager and copied to any importer and owner concerned as if it were a notice to which paragraph 5(b) and (c) applied.

7.—(1) The Scottish Ministers may charge fees in accordance with this paragraph.

(2) The approval administration fee may be charged in relation to the receipt and processing of an application for–

(a) an approval;

(b) the renewal of an approval;

(c) the lifting of the suspension of an approval; and

(d) the lifting of or amendment of conditions attached to an approval.

(3) The Scottish Ministers shall from time to time determine the approval administration fee for each type of application described in sub paragraph (2)(a) to (d) and shall publish the current fee on the Scottish Executive website.

(4) The approval administration fee for any type of application shall represent costs and expenses which the Scottish Ministers reasonably consider attributable to the receipt and processing of an application of that type.

(5) The veterinary inspector’s rate may be charged for time spent by a veterinary inspector inspecting premises to assess compliance with the minimum approval conditions.

(6) The Scottish Ministers may make a charge at no more than the veterinary inspector rate for the purposes of this Part for time spent by a veterinary inspector travelling to or from premises for purposes of inspecting them to assess compliance with minimum approval conditions.

(7) In this Part –

(a) “approval” means an approval as provided for in regulation 20 and this Schedule;

(b) “approval administration fee” has the meaning given in sub paragraphs (3) and (4); and

(c) “minimum approval conditions” means the minimum conditions referred to in sub paragraphs 2 (a) and (b) of this Part of this Schedule.

PART II Specific Requirements

1.  In this Part of this Schedule “the quarantine period” has the meaning given in paragraphs 2 and 3 below.

2.  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.

3.  No bird at a quarantine centre may share a quarantine unit with any other bird unless that other bird arrived in the same consignment as the first bird, and in the event that one bird shares a quarantine unit with another bird, the quarantine period for any bird in the quarantine unit shall be extended to expire no sooner than 30 days after the last bird was placed in the quarantine unit.

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

5.  The use of sentinel chickens shall conform with Article 4.2 of the Decision.

6.  Suitable arrangements shall be made for the taking of samples by a veterinary inspector in accordance with Articles 4.1, 4.3, 4.4.c, 4.4.d, and 4.5 of the Decision.

7.  The presence or suspected presence of disease in a bird at a quarantine centre or quarantine facility, and the death of any bird during their quarantine period shall be reported to the veterinary inspector supervising the quarantine centre or quarantine facility as soon as is reasonably practicable.

8.  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 22(2)(b).

9.  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.

10.  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 Chapter 2A of Annex B to the Decision and in any event so as to avoid spread of disease.

11.  Records 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 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; and

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

12.  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 the captive birds upon import shall be kept for at least one year after the arrival of a captive bird at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility.

PART III Charges in Relation to Captive Birds in Quarantine

Charges for taking samples and official veterinary supervision

1.—(1) The Scottish Ministers shall make a charge at the veterinary inspector rate for time spent by a veterinary inspector at a quarantine centre or quarantine facility–

(a) carrying out official veterinary supervision; and

(b) taking samples required under Article 4 of the Decision or in connection with reaching a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of Chlamydia psittaci as referred to in Article 5 of the Decision.

(2) Official veterinary supervision means the functions of the official veterinarian described in the Decision, including–

(a) checking that the conditions under which the consignment is placed and in which it remains in quarantine are in accordance with the Decision and the specific requirements in Part II of this Schedule;

(b) inspection of records (whether or not they relate to the consignment concerned);

(c) clinical examination of any captive bird within the quarantine facility or within the quarantine unit at the quarantine centre at which the consignment concerned is placed or remains in quarantine;

(d) any investigation into avian mortality or morbidity in the consignment concerned which the veterinary inspector reasonably considers appropriate in all the circumstances, including such further checks, inspections and clinical examinations in relation to other consignments at the quarantine centre or quarantine facility as the veterinary inspector considers may assist in his investigation.

(3) The Scottish Ministers may make a charge at no more than the veterinary inspector rate determined for purposes of this paragraph for time spent by a veterinary inspector travelling to or from premises for purposes of official veterinary supervision and taking samples.

Charges for testing and analysis of samples (including post mortem tissue removal)

2.—(1) The official laboratory shall make the charges set out in sub paragraphs (2) to (5).

(2) Charges for post mortem tissue removal for purposes of testing–

(a) per batch of four or five birds: £47.30;

(b) per batch of three birds: £44.40;

(c) per batch of two birds: £29.60;

(d) per single bird: £14.80.

(3) Charges for single virus culture (that is, avian virus isolation in SPF eggs via allantoic cavity for avian influenza virus, Newcastle Disease virus and avian paramyxovirus) in one pool of up to five birds–

(a) of cloacal swab or faeces sample: £53.60;

(b) of tissue samples from post mortem examination: £107.20.

(4) Charges for serology of sentinel birds (Newcastle Disease (PMV 1), Influenza (H5) and Influenza (H7))–

• per set of 3 tests for each sentinel bird: £15.00.

(5) Charges for testing for Chlamydophila Polymerase Chain Reaction–

• per sample tested: £30.00.

PART IV Transitional arrangements for existing approvals

1.  A quarantine centre or quarantine facility which on 17th July 2006 held an approval for the purposes of Commission Decision 2000/666/EC shall, subject to the provisions of this Part, be an approved quarantine centre or an approved quarantine facility as if approved under regulation 20 and Part I of this Schedule, and shall be subject to the requirements of these Regulations accordingly.

2.  An approval referred to in paragraph 1 shall, unless revoked, expire on the date it was due to expire when first granted.