The Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (Scotland) Order 2013

CHAPTER 1 General provisions

Approval of laboratories

6.—(1) The Scottish Ministers may approve any laboratory that they consider to be suitable for the purpose of testing samples submitted under this Part.

(2) For the purpose of deciding whether to grant an approval under this article, the Scottish Ministers may require the operator of a laboratory to arrange or permit such inspections and quality assurance testing as Ministers consider necessary.

(3) The operator of an approved laboratory must comply with any condition of the approval.

Suspension and revocation of approval of laboratories

7.—(1) The Scottish Ministers may by notice given to the operator of an approved laboratory suspend or revoke an approval granted under article 6 if—

(a) they consider that the approved laboratory is no longer suitable for the purpose of carrying out testing of samples submitted to it under this Part; or

(b) they have reason to believe that any conditions of its approval have not been, or are not being, complied with.

(2) For the purpose of deciding whether to suspend or revoke an approval under this article, the Scottish Ministers may require the operator of the laboratory to arrange or permit such inspections and quality assurance testing as Ministers consider necessary.

(3) Suspension of an approval under this article lasts for such period, or until such a state of affairs exists, as the Scottish Ministers specify when suspending the approval.

(4) The operator of an approved laboratory may by notice given to the Scottish Ministers indicate that the operator no longer wishes approval of the laboratory, in which case the approval ceases to have effect on the date on which Ministers receive that notice.

Management tags

8.—(1) This article applies where—

(a) a management tag has been used to take a sample of tissue from a bovine animal under this Part; and

(b) the tag, or any replacement of it, has been removed or lost or has become illegible.

(2) The keeper of the animal who applied the tag must, within 28 days (or such longer period as the Scottish Ministers approve in the particular circumstances) of the removal or of becoming aware of the loss or illegibility, apply to the animal a replacement tag bearing the same identification number as the previous tag.

(3) Except for the purpose of replacing an illegible tag or safeguarding the welfare of the animal, the keeper of the animal must not remove or replace a management tag without the approval of the Scottish Ministers.