The Specified Diseases (Notification) Amendment (Scotland) Order 2016

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the Specified Diseases (Notification) Order 1996 (“the principal Order”) in Scotland by adding porcine epidemic diarrhoea to the list of animal diseases in Part I of Schedule 1 to the principal Order (see article 2(6)), where suspicion of the infection of that disease must be notified in accordance with articles 3 and 5 of the principal Order as amended by this Order.

Article 2(5) substitutes article 5 of the principal Order to provide for notification of suspected cases of porcine epidemic diarrhoea to a person authorised by the Scottish Ministers (see article 2(2)(a), which inserts a definition of “authorised person” in article 2 of the principal Order). Article 2(3) makes consequential amendments to article 3 of the principal Order.

Article 2(4) inserts a new article 3A into the principal Order to enable a person authorised by the Scottish Ministers to share information regarding porcine epidemic diarrhoea with a person responsible for coordinating on behalf of the pig industry in Scotland a response to a suspected or confirmed outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhoea. This is to enable advice to be given to the affected keeper and other pig keepers regarding appropriate precautions to take to protect their pigs from porcine epidemic diarrhoea. It will also facilitate the raising of awareness of porcine epidemic diarrhoea through dissemination of information about the disease more widely to the pig industry.

A business and regulatory impact assessment has been prepared and placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Copies can be obtained from the Scottish Government Directorate for Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities, Animal Health and Welfare Division, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD.