The Swine Vesicular Disease Regulations 2009

CHAPTER 2Action on suspicion of disease and declaration of infected premises

Imposing measures on suspicion of disease

8.—(1) An inspector must act in accordance with this regulation on suspicion that—

(a)a pig that is or has been infected with swine vesicular disease virus is on any premises (whether or not following a notification under these Regulations), or

(b)premises are contaminated with swine vesicular disease virus.

(2) The inspector must—

(a)serve a notice on the occupier designating those premises as suspect premises and imposing the measures in Schedule 1, and

(b)ensure that warning signs prohibiting entry are erected at suitable points around the premises.

(3) A veterinary inspector must begin an epidemiological inquiry to try to establish at least—

(a)the length of time that swine vesicular disease virus may have existed on the premises,

(b)the origin of that virus,

(c)the identification of other premises contaminated with that virus from the same source,

(d)the movement of any person or thing that could have carried that virus to or from the premises, and

(e)the possibility that pigs living in the wild may be involved in the spread of the virus,

and must continue the inquiry until these matters have been established so far as is practicable or the possibility of disease has been discounted.

Measures following suspicion – non-contact premises

9.—(1) This regulation applies where a veterinary inspector suspects that swine vesicular disease virus exists on any premises but this suspicion does not arise out of the fact that the premises have an epidemiological link with infected premises.

(2) Following service of a notice on suspicion of swine vesicular disease, a veterinary inspector must take all reasonable steps to establish whether or not the suspicion is correct.

(3) These steps must include taking samples from pigs on the premises (if there are any) and having them tested.

(4) When premises do not have pigs on them at the time of the notice, the veterinary inspector may take samples from the pigs or carcases that have been on the premises, and may take environmental samples from the premises.

(5) If the tests carried out under paragraphs (3) and (4) demonstrate that—

(a)swine vesicular disease virus is in a pig or on the premises, or

(b)the premises contain pigs that are seropositive for swine vesicular disease and in addition those pigs or other pigs on the premises show clinical signs of swine vesicular disease,

the Secretary of State must serve a notice declaring the premises to be infected premises.

(6) If the tests carried out under paragraph (3) demonstrate that there are seropositive pigs on the premises, but none of the pigs on the premises shows clinical signs of swine vesicular disease, the Secretary of State must—

(a)continue to monitor the premises and take further samples and test those samples, with an interval of 28 days at least between the samples taken when disease was first suspected and the samples taken under this sub-paragraph,

(b)declare the premises to be infected premises if the test on the further samples shows that swine vesicular disease virus exists in a pig on the premises,

(c)otherwise ensure that all pigs that have tested seropositive are—

(i)killed and destroyed under the supervision of an inspector, or

(ii)slaughtered in a slaughterhouse designated for the purpose by the Secretary of State where they are kept and slaughtered separately from other pigs,

and the Secretary of State must remove the measures in Schedule 1 once all seropositive pigs have been killed or removed from the premises.

(7) If the tests carried out under paragraphs (3) and (4) demonstrate that there is no swine vesicular disease virus in a pig or on the premises and that there are no seropositive pigs on the premises the Secretary of State must remove the measures in Schedule 1.

Measures following suspicion – contact premises

10.—(1) This regulation applies where a veterinary inspector suspects that swine vesicular disease virus exists on any premises and this suspicion arises out of the fact that the premises have an epidemiological link with infected premises.

(2) If any pig on the suspect premises shows clinical signs of swine vesicular disease the Secretary of State must serve a notice declaring the suspect premises to be infected premises.

(3) If no pig on the suspect premises shows clinical signs of swine vesicular disease the Secretary of State must assess the risk of swine vesicular disease virus being present on the suspect premises, taking account of the degree of contact between the suspect premises and the infected premises, and on the basis of the assessment must either—

(a)kill all the pigs on the suspect premises without further confirmation of the existence of the disease on those premises and without declaring the premises to be infected premises, or

(b)monitor the pigs on the suspect premises for at least 28 days.

(4) The Secretary of State must serve a notice declaring the suspect premises to be infected premises if tests demonstrate that the premises—

(a)contain or contained a pig that is infected with swine vesicular disease virus, or

(b)contain a pig that is seropositive for swine vesicular disease virus.

(5) If the Secretary of State does not declare the suspect premises to be infected premises the Secretary of State must assess when the measures in Schedule 1 can be lifted.

(6) On the basis of the assessment the Secretary of State must decide what actions (including if necessary cleansing and disinfection and re-stocking with sentinel pigs) must be carried out before the measures in Schedule 1 can be lifted, and notify the occupier of these (if not all the pigs were killed on the premises, the measures in Schedule 1 may not be lifted during the 28 day monitoring period).

(7) The Secretary of State must remove the measures in Schedule 1 when satisfied that the actions notified to the occupier have been carried out.

Declaration of infected premises where premises are close to a confirmed outbreak

11.  If pigs on any premises show clinical signs of swine vesicular disease and there are infected premises sufficiently close to the premises for the Secretary of State to be satisfied that the premises are also infected a veterinary inspector must—

(a)serve a notice on the occupier declaring those premises as infected premises and imposing the measures in Schedule 1, and

(b)ensure that warning signs prohibiting entry are erected at suitable points around the premises,

without first declaring the premises to be suspect premises.

Suspicion relating to pigs living in the wild

12.—(1) This regulation applies where a veterinary inspector suspects that a pig living in the wild is infected with swine vesicular disease virus.

(2) A veterinary inspector must take all reasonable steps to establish whether or not the suspicion is correct.

(3) Where the veterinary inspector concludes that swine vesicular disease virus is likely to be present in a pig living in the wild, the Secretary of State must take appropriate action to minimise the risk of that virus spreading to domestic pigs.

Conditions and warning signs

13.—(1) Breach of any of the measures in Schedule 1 is an offence.

(2) Those measures remain in place until the Secretary of State serves a notice on the occupier of the premises removing them.

(3) When a warning sign has been erected under this Part, the occupier of the premises must ensure that it is properly maintained, and failure to do so is an offence.

(4) It is an offence to remove a warning sign erected under this Part except under the authority of a veterinary inspector.

(5) A veterinary inspector may only authorise the removal of the warning signs when the measures in Schedule 1 are removed.