The Swine Vesicular Disease Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009

Testing with sentinel pigs

25.—(1) After cleansing and disinfection have been carried out in accordance with the notice, a veterinary inspector shall certify in writing that the cleansing and disinfection has been carried out in a satisfactory manner.

(2) The premises shall then be tested for the swine vesicular disease virus using sentinel pigs.

(3) The number of sentinel pigs shall be limited to the minimum necessary for the test.

(4) Sentinel pigs may not be introduced until at least 28 days after the certificate has been issued, and shall be introduced in accordance with a licence granted by the Department.

(5) The sentinel pigs shall have 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 swine vesicular disease virus.

(6) The veterinary inspector shall ensure that the sentinel pigs are placed throughout the premises in sufficient numbers such that it is reasonable to expect any residual virus to affect one or more of the sentinel pigs.

(7) The pigs shall be examined 28 days after having been placed on the premises, and sampled for serological testing by a veterinary inspector.

(8) If none of the sentinel pigs shows clinical signs of swine vesicular disease or has developed antibodies against swine vesicular disease virus, the veterinary inspector shall remove restrictions from those parts of the premises.

(9) As an alternative to introducing the minimum number of sentinel pigs, the Department may grant a licence to introduce an unlimited number of sentinel pigs, but in this case—

(a)paragraphs (4), (5) and (6) apply in relation to the introduction of the sentinel pigs;

(b)all the sentinel pigs shall arrive within a period of 8 days;

(c)they shall come from premises situated outside a protection zone or surveillance zone;

(d)a veterinary inspector shall clinically examine all the sentinel pigs, and sample and carry out a serological test on a statistically valid number of sentinel pigs, at the earliest 28 days after the arrival of the last sentinel pig; and

(e)even if none of the sentinel pigs shows clinical signs of swine vesicular disease a veterinary inspector may not revoke the restrictions until 60 days after the arrival of the last sentinel pig.