18.—(1) On infected premises or contact premises once a veterinary inspector has certified in accordance with regulation 14(4) that secondary cleansing and disinfection have been satisfactorily completed, sentinel pigs may be introduced (at the expense of the occupier) for monitoring for the resurgence of disease in accordance with this regulation as a precursor to full restocking of the premises with pigs.
(2) Other than in the situation in paragraph (7), the number of sentinel pigs introduced by the occupier must be such restricted number as is deemed to be sufficient by a veterinary inspector to test for the continuing presence of disease on all parts of the premises where disease was formerly present.
(3) The sentinel pigs may only be introduced in accordance with a licence granted by a veterinary inspector, and not before the following prescribed number of days, equivalent to the incubation period for the virus, after the secondary cleansing and disinfection has been certified as being satisfactorily completed in accordance with regulation 14(4)—
(a)40 days in the case of African swine fever;
(b)30 days in the case of classical swine fever; and
(c)28 days in the case of swine vesicular disease.
(4) The sentinel pigs must have—
(a)come from premises not subject to any controls or restrictions under these Regulations; or
(b)been tested at the expense of the occupier before being brought on to the premises and found to be negative for the presence of antibodies against disease.
(5) After the time limits set down in the following table a veterinary inspector must clinically examine all sentinel pigs on the premises and take a statistically valid number of samples deemed necessary for the serological testing for the presence of antibodies to the disease—
| African swine fever (where disease has not been linked to vectors) | Classical swine fever | Swine vesicular disease | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of days after the arrival of the last sentinel pig onto the premises | 45 | 40 | 28 |
(6) A person must not allow a sentinel pig to leave premises until negative results of the serological tests taken in accordance with paragraph (5) are obtained by the veterinary inspector.
(7) For premises that only have pigs entirely enclosed in buildings, as an alternative to the veterinary inspector restricting the number of sentinel pigs in accordance with paragraph (2), the veterinary inspector may license the introduction of an unlimited number of sentinel pigs into enclosed buildings on the premises, but in such circumstances—
(a)paragraphs (3), (4), (5) and (6) apply in relation to the introduction of the unlimited number of sentinel pigs;
(b)the conditions in the following table apply—
| African swine fever (where disease has not been linked to vectors) | Classical swine fever | Swine vesicular disease | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All the sentinel pigs must arrive on the premises within the following periods from the date of arrival of the first sentinel pig | 20 days | 20 days | 8 days |
; and
(c)in the case of swine vesicular disease, a person must not allow a pig to leave the premises until at least 60 days after the arrival of the last sentinel pig.
(8) In the case of African swine fever where the disease has been linked to spread by vectors, restocking with sentinel pigs cannot take place for a period of six years.
(9) The period of six years may be reduced where a veterinary inspector has supervised vector eradication measures on infected premises and is satisfied that—
(a)the vector eradication measures have been successfully carried out under the supervision of a veterinary inspector; or
(b)the persistence of the vector no longer presents a significant risk of transmitting African swine fever.
(10) Where restocking has taken place in accordance with paragraphs (8) or (9), a person must not allow a pig to leave the premises after full repopulation until serological examinations with negative results for African swine fever have been taken at least 60 days after full repopulation in accordance with the Diagnostic Manual.
Commencement Information
I1Reg. 18 in force at 14.8.2014, see reg. 1(1)(c)