The Aujeszky’s Disease Order (Northern Ireland) 2012

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order revokes and remakes the Aujeszky’s Disease Order (Northern Ireland) 1994. It is remade in conjunction with the Aujeszky’s Disease Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2012 (“the Scheme”) provides for the control and eradication of Aujeszky’s Disease in pigs in Northern Ireland.

The main provisions of the Order are as follows:—

(a) articles 3 and 4 allows the serving of a notice or licence by the Department on the occupier of any holding having day – to – day responsibility for the premises or for any pigs on the premises.

(b) article 5 makes provision for the notification of the presence or suspected presence of disease by keepers of pigs and anyone who handles or examines pigs or pig carcases.

(c) article 7 makes provisions for the initial controls following notification of disease to the Department and where a veterinary inspector considers further investigation is necessary.

(d) articles 8, 9 and 11 makes provisions for the action required by the Department on suspicion of disease and declaration of infected premises and epidemiological investigations.

(e) article 12 specifies imposing measures by the Department on suspicion of disease relating to pigs living in the wild.

(f) article 13 specifies the powers of a veterinary inspector to serve a notice on the occupier revoking the measures in Schedule 1.

(g) article 14 specifies the powers requiring the cleansing and disinfection of infected premises, receptacles and vehicles used for the confinement or removal of pigs, carcases, products or feeding stuffs.

(h) articles 15 and 16 set out the controls following the notification at a slaughterhouse.

(i) articles 17 - 19 make provision for the Department to declare areas of control including surveillance zones around infected premises.

(j) articles 21 – 24 makes it an offence to vaccinate pigs unless under licence by the Department were the Department may have declared a vaccination zone and the movement of pigs within that zone.

(k) article 25 provides the power to the Department to issue notices on the occupier of any premises.

(l) Schedule 1 makes detailed provision for the measures taken by the Department following a declaration of an infected premises.

(m) Schedule 2 makes detailed provision of the measures to be taken in a protection zone following the declaration of an infected premise and which provisions apply within that zone.