Statutory Instruments made by the National Assembly for Wales

"carcase" ("carcas") means a pig carcase and includes part of a carcase;

"the Chief Veterinary Officer" ("y Prif Swyddog Milfeddygol") means the Chief Veterinary Officer for Great Britain;

"the disease" ("y clefyd") means African swine fever;

"Divisional Veterinary Manager" ("Rheolwr Milfeddygol Rhanbarthol") means the person appointed for the time being by the Secretary of State to receive information about infected or suspected animals or carcases for the area in which such animals or carcases are located;

"feral pig" ("mochyn fferal") means a pig which is not kept or bred on a holding and is not in a slaughterhouse, knacker's yard or on a means of transport;

"holding" ("daliad") means any place where any pig is bred or kept on a permanent or temporary basis or has been kept at any time during the previous 56 days but does not include a slaughterhouse, knacker's yard or means of transport or fenced area where feral pigs are kept and may be hunted;

"infected holding" ("daliad heintiedig") means a holding where the Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed that the disease is present;

"knacker's yard" ("abwyfa") means any premises used in connection with the business of slaughtering, flaying or cutting up animals whose flesh is not intended for human consumption;

"the National Assembly" ("y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol") means the National Assembly for Wales;

"pig" ("mochyn") means an animal of the suidae family;

"slaughterhouse" ("lladd-dy") means any building, premises or place (other than a farmed game handling facility) for slaughtering animals the flesh of which is intended for sale for human consumption, and includes any place available in connection therewith for the confinement of animals while awaiting slaughter there;

"suspected holding" ("daliad a amheuir") means a holding in relation to which a notice under article 5 has been served;

"vector" ("fector") means a tick of the species Ornithodorus erraticus, or any other tick of the genus Ornithodorus which, in the opinion of the Chief Veterinary Officer, is capable of transmitting African swine fever;

"the virus" ("y feirws") means the African swine fever virus.

    (2) For the purposes of this Order - 

(i) a pig or pig carcase is suspected of being infected with the disease if it has clinical signs or post-mortem lesions consistent with the effects of the virus or if the results of a diagnostic test indicate the possible presence of the virus in that animal or carcase;

(ii) a pig or pig carcase is infected with the disease if the Chief Veterinary Officer determines that it is infected on the basis of clinical signs, post-mortem lesions or the result of a diagnostic test and any epidemiological circumstances;

(a) if the movement is in accordance with paragraphs 6 and 7;

(b) to the transport of pigs that were loaded on to a vehicle outside the protection zone and are transported through that zone without the vehicle being loaded or unloaded in the zone;

(c) to the movement or transport of pigs from outside the protection zone, with a view to immediate slaughter in a slaughterhouse situated inside the protection zone, provided that movement or transport has been licensed by a veterinary inspector or an inspector in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

     3. No person may move out of the protection zone any vehicle which has been used to transport pigs within the zone, unless - 

(a) it has been cleansed and disinfected and, if necessary, an acaricide has been applied under the direction and supervision of an inspector; and

(b) the movement has been licensed by an inspector; or

(c) it has been driven through the zone without being loaded or unloaded.

     4. The occupier of a holding within the protection zone must ensure that no other species of domestic animal enters or leaves that holding unless the movement is authorised by a licence issued by a veterinary inspector or an inspector acting in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

     5. No person may remove any pig semen, ova or embryos from a holding within the protection zone.

     6. No person may move any pig in the protection zone off the holding on which it is kept for at least 40 days after the completion of the preliminary cleansing and disinfection of, and of any application of an acaricide to, the infected holding. Thereafter no person may so move any pig unless licensed to do so by a veterinary inspector or an inspector acting in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

     7. Where - 

(a) a holding has been within a protection zone for longer than 40 days as a result of further outbreaks of the disease within the zone; and

(b) and this has given rise to welfare or other problems in keeping the pigs on the holding,

pigs may be moved off the holding provided that any such movement is authorised by a licence issued by a veterinary inspector or an inspector acting in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

Reduction of periods of waiting
     8. If the Chief Veterinary Officer is satisfied following a sampling and testing programme that the disease no longer exists on the holding in question, the period of 40 days referred to in paragraphs 6 and 7 above may by notice be reduced to 30 days.

Notification of pig deaths on a holding
     9. The occupier of any holding within the protection zone must notify the Divisional Veterinary Manager about any dead or diseased pig on his or her holding.

Bio-security
     10. The person in charge of any vehicle or equipment used for the transport of pigs, other livestock or material which may have been contaminated with the disease (for example, carcases, feed, manure, and slurry) must ensure that it is cleansed and disinfected or otherwise treated as soon as possible after use and before it is used again, under the direction and supervision of a veterinary inspector or of an inspector acting in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

     11. No person may enter or leave any holding within the protection zone wearing clothing or footwear which is visibly contaminated with mud, slurry, animal faeces, droppings or excretions or any other similar matter except that such person may cleanse and disinfect the outer surfaces of his or her footwear on entering or leaving those premises.

(a) to the transport of pigs that were loaded on to a vehicle outside the surveillance zone and are transported through that zone without the vehicle being loaded or unloaded in the zone; or

(b) to the movement or transport of pigs from outside the surveillance zone with a view to immediate slaughter in a slaughterhouse within the surveillance zone provided that movement or transport has been licensed by a veterinary inspector or by an inspector in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

     3. No person may move any livestock vehicle from the surveillance zone if it has been used to transport pigs, unless it has first been cleansed and disinfected and, if necessary, an acaricide has been applied, or unless it has been driven through the zone without being loaded or unloaded.

     4. The occupier of any holding within the surveillance zone must ensure that no other species of domestic animal enters or leaves that holding within seven days of the establishment of that zone unless licensed to do so by an inspector.

     5. No person may remove any pig semen, ovum or embryo from a holding within the surveillance zone.

Movement of pigs
     6. No person may move any pig off a holding in the surveillance zone for at least 30 days after the completion of the preliminary cleansing and disinfection of, and any application of an acaricide to, the infected holding. Thereafter no person may move any pig unless licensed to do so by a veterinary inspector or an inspector acting under the direction of an inspector.

     7. When a holding has  - 

(a) been within a surveillance zone for more than 40 days as a result of further outbreaks of the disease; and

(b) this has given rise to welfare or other problems in keeping the pigs on the holding,

pigs may be moved off that holding provided that the movement is licensed by a veterinary inspector or an inspector acting in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

Reduction of periods of waiting
     8. If the Chief Veterinary Officer is satisfied following a sampling and testing programme that the disease no longer exists on the holding in question, the period of 30 days referred to in paragraph 6 above may by notice be reduced to 21 days and the period of 40 days referred to in paragraph 7 above may by notice be reduced to 30 days.

Bio-security
     9. The person in charge of any vehicle or equipment used for the transport of pigs, other livestock or material which may have been contaminated with the virus (for example, carcases, feed, manure and slurry) must ensure that it is cleansed and disinfected or otherwise treated as soon as possible after use and before it is used again in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector or an inspector or other person appointed by the National Assembly or the Secretary of State acting in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

     10. No person may enter or leave any holding within the surveillance zone wearing clothing or footwear which is visibly contaminated with mud, slurry, animal faeces, droppings or excretions or any other similar matter except that such person may cleanse and disinfect the outer surfaces of his or her footwear on entering or leaving those premises.

Notification of deaths of pigs on a holding
     11. The occupier of any holding within the surveillance zone must notify the Divisional Veterinary Manager about any dead or diseased pigs on the holding.

(a) all the pigs on the holding are restricted to their living quarters or to some other part of the holding where they can be isolated from feral pigs; and

(b) feral pigs are prevented from gaining access to any material that might come into contact with the pigs on the holding.

Movement of pigs
     3. No person may move a pig on to or off the holding unless licensed to do so by a veterinary inspector or an inspector acting in accordance with the directions of a veterinary inspector.

Bio-security
     4. The occupier must ensure that appropriate means of disinfection are provided and used at the entrances and exits of those parts of the holding in which pigs are being kept and of the holding itself.

Dead or diseased pigs
     5. The occupier must ensure that he or she notifies the Divisional Veterinary Manager of any feral pigs that die on the holding and retain the carcases of such animals on the holding until a veterinary inspector has notified him or her that he or she no longer needs to do so.

Feral pigs
     6. No person may bring on to a holding in the infected area  - 

(a) the carcase or any part of a feral pig; or

(b) any material or equipment which could have been had contact with a feral pig in the infected area.

(a) requires any person who suspects that a pig or carcase is inspected with African swine fever (the disease) to notify the Divisional Veterinary manager and imposes restrictions on the movement of pigs or carcases or other things off the premises (article 4);

(b) requires a veterinary inspector to serve a notice imposing the requirements set out in the notice to be complied with in circumstances where he or she suspects that the disease may exist (article 5);

(c) permits a veterinary inspector to serve a further notice imposing additional restrictions to those required by article 5 (article 6);

(d) where the presence of the disease is confirmed on a holding, requires a veterinary inspector to serve a notice on the occupier of the holding requiring him or her to ensure that the restrictions and requirements in article 5 and any applicable requirements of article 6 are carried out (article 7);

(e) sets out the measures which must be taken where the disease is confirmed in a slaughterhouse, knacker's yard or on a means of transport (article 8);

(f) sets out the action that should be taken where it is suspected that the disease may have been transferred to or from the infected or suspected premises to or from other premises (article 9);

(g) provides for the establishment of temporary control zones (article 10);

(h) requires the National Assembly for Wales, on confirmation of disease, to establish an area around an outbreak site of the disease and provides for this area to be split into a protection zone and a surveillance zone (article 11 and Schedule 1);

(i) sets out the requirements for cleansing and disinfection (article 12);

(j) sets out the measures to be taken where the disease is suspected or confirmed in feral pigs (articles 13 & 14 and Schedule 2);

(k) prohibits the use of the African swine fever vaccine unless the National Assembly authorises it (article 15);

(l) gives power to an inspector to take action to ensure that the requirements of this Order are carried out where any person fails to comply with those restrictions and requirements (article 16);

(m) provides the specifics as to the exercise of certain of the powers of veterinary inspectors and of officers of the National Assembly or the Secretary of State when an outbreak of African swine fever is suspected. The general powers are set out in sections 63 and 64A of the Animal Health Act 1981 (article 17);

(n) provides for the enforcement of the Order (article 18).

Failure to comply with this Order is an offence under section 73 of the Animal Health Act 1981.

A regulatory appraisal has been prepared and placed in the Library of the National Assembly for Wales. Copies are available from the Welsh Assembly Government, Animal and Plant Health Division, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.