Identification and Movement of Sheep and Goats Order (Northern Ireland) 2004

Movement of animals

9.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a keeper shall not move or cause or permit to be moved, any animal from a flock or herd on his holding unless –

(a) the Department has allocated to the keeper a holding number in respect of that holding and, as the case may be, a mark for that flock or herd;

(b) the animal is identified in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Order;

(c) in the case of an animal being brought to a destination in Northern Ireland from another member State it bears a mark applied in accordance with Council Directive 91/68/EC on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in ovine and caprine animal(1);

(d) he notifies the Department in accordance with paragraph (2) and the animal is accompanied by a notification document correctly completed in accordance with this Article.

(2) The notification document shall contain the information specified in paragraph (3) and notification of the movement of an animal shall be either –

(a) by the keeper completing the notification document in relation to a movement off his holding; or

(b) where the keeper is a market operator, and the movement is into or out of the market, by the keeper completing the notification document and delivering a copy of that document to the Divisional Veterinary Office in accordance with paragraph (5).

(3) (a) Where a keeper completes a notification document in accordance with paragraph (2)(a) the information to be recorded is –

(i) the number of animals moving off the holding;

(ii) the category of animal moving off the holding i.e. whether it is a ram, ewe, lamb or goat;

(iii) the individual animal identification number of each animal moving off the holding;

(iv) his name, address and holding number;

(v) the date of movement of the animals off the holding;

(vi) the haulier/vehicle registration number in which the animals are moved off the holding;

(vii) the buyer’s name, address and holding number; and

(b) Where an animal is moving off a holding to a market, collection centre or show, the keeper in addition to the information set out in sub-paragraphs (3)(a)(i) to (vi) shall record the name, address and identification code of the market, collection centre or show.

(c) Where a keeper completes a notification document in accordance with paragraph (2)(b) the information to be recorded is –

(i) the name and address of the person who purchased the animals;

(ii) the haulier/vehicle registration number in which the animals were removed.

(4) The duty of a market operator to correctly complete a notification document in accordance with paragraph (2)(b) shall also apply to the operator of a slaughterhouse if for any reason live animals are rejected from the slaughterhouse.

(5) A notification document shall be –

(a) sent to the Divisional Veterinary Office on the day of the movement to which it relates; or

(b) where the keeper is the operator of a market or slaughterhouse, delivered by him to the Divisional Veterinary Office on the day of movement to which it relates or, where this is not reasonably practicable, on the following working day.

(6) The keeper of an animal shall ensure that a copy of the notification document completed under this Article accompanies the animal to which it relates while it is in transit and shall, on demand made by an inspector or by a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland –

(a) produce that document and allow a copy thereof or an extract therefrom to be taken; and

(b) furnish his name and address.

(7) A person to whom a notification document is supplied under this Article shall keep a copy of such document for a period of 4 years following the end of the year in which the documents were received.

(8) A keeper of an animal who supplies a notification document in accordance with this Article shall keep a copy of such document for a period of 4 years following the end of the year in which the document was supplied.

(1)

O.J. No. L146, 19.2.91, p. 19-36 as amended by Commission Decision 2002/261/EC (O.J. No. L91, 06.04.2002, p. 31), Council Directive 2003/50/EC (O.J. No. L169, 08.07.2003, p. 51), Commission Decision 2004/554/EC (O.J. No. L248, 22.07.2004, p. 1)