The Diseases of Swine Regulations 2014

Measures on suspicion of disease

7.—(1) This regulation applies where a veterinary inspector suspects—

(a) that a pig or carcase is or has been infected with disease; and

(b) that pig or carcase is or has been on any premises other than in circumstances where Part 4 (disease at a slaughterhouse) or Part 5 (suspicion and confirmation of disease in feral pigs) applies.

(2) An inspector must serve a notice on the occupier designating premises as suspect premises, and Schedule 1 applies upon service of that notice.

(3) A veterinary inspector must take all reasonable steps to establish whether or not disease is present at the suspect premises.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (3), a veterinary inspector may, if the Chief Veterinary Officer considers it necessary, take and have tested—

(a) samples from any pig or carcase that is, or has previously been, on the premises;

(b) environmental samples from the premises.

(5) In the case of classical swine fever and African swine fever, where required by the epidemiological situation, the Chief Veterinary Officer may order and arrange for the killing of any pig on the suspect premises and arrange for the taking of a sufficient number of post-mortem samples to confirm or negate the presence of disease.

(6) The notice served under paragraph (2) may only be revoked if a veterinary inspector is satisfied that the suspect premises no longer pose a risk of spread of disease.

(7) Where that notice is revoked, the measures in Schedule 1 cease to apply upon revocation of that notice.

(8) In the case of swine vesicular disease only, where a seropositive pig has been detected on premises designated as suspect premises but none of the pigs on the premises show clinical signs of that disease, a veterinary inspector must take further samples at least 28 days from the date when the disease was first suspected by the veterinary inspector and have those samples tested.

(9) If such tests reveal no evidence of swine vesicular disease on the premises, the seropositive pig must be—

(a) slaughtered at a designated slaughterhouse—

(i) with the pig being kept separate from other pigs in transport and at the slaughterhouse; and

(ii) ensuring that the carcase and any animal by-product coming from the seropositive pig is kept separate and not exported from the United Kingdom; or

(b) killed on the suspect premises and subsequently destroyed under supervision of a veterinary inspector.