The Swine Vesicular Disease Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009

PART V AREA CONTROLS

Protection, surveillance and movement restriction zones

29.—(1) This regulation applies where the Department confirms premises as infected premises.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3) the Department—

(a) shall declare a protection zone and a surveillance zone around the infected premises, and

(b) may declare a movement restriction zone.

(3) The Department may declare a zone where the infected premises are—

(a) a slaughterhouse,

(b) a veterinary surgery where a pig has been brought for examination, or

(c) any other place to which a pig has been brought temporarily and which the Department does not consider to be the centre of infection,

(4) A protection zone shall have a radius of at least three kilometres and a surveillance zone shall have a radius of at least ten kilometres, both centred on the part of the premises that the Department considers most appropriate for disease control purposes.

(5) The Department shall ensure that—

(a) premises within a protection zone or a surveillance zone that contain pigs are identified as soon as possible,

(b) a veterinary inspector visits all such premises that are within a protection zone, as soon as possible and—

(i) inspects and if necessary examines all the pigs at the premises; and

(ii) collects such samples as the veterinary inspector considers necessary.

(6) Schedule 2 shall apply in protection zones and surveillance zones, and it is an offence to fail to comply with any of these measures.

(7) The Department may declare any other measures necessary to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, the spread of swine vesicular disease virus apply in respect of the whole or any part of any protection zone or surveillance zone.

(8) Any premises—

(a) partly inside and partly outside a protection zone shall be deemed to be wholly inside that zone;

(b) partly inside a surveillance zone and partly in an area other than a protection zone shall be deemed to be wholly inside the surveillance zone;

(c) partly inside a movement restriction zone and partly in an area other than a protection or surveillance zone shall be deemed to be wholly inside the movement restriction zone.

(9) When the Department ends any protection zone, the area that formed that protection zone shall become part of the surveillance zone.

(10) Nothing in paragraph (8) shall deem any part of a premises lying outside Northern Ireland to be within a protection, surveillance or movement restriction zone.

Movement restriction zones

30.—(1) A movement restriction zone—

(a) shall be in such part of Northern Ireland and of such size as the Department considers necessary to reduce the spread of swine vesicular disease virus; and

(b) does not include any area in the protection or surveillance zone.

(2) It is an offence to move a pig off any premises in the movement restriction zone except in accordance with a licence granted by the Department.

Declaration of protection zones and surveillance zones on confirmation of the disease in Northern Ireland

31.—(1) A declaration of a zone under this Part—

(a) shall be in writing;

(b) shall designate the extent of the zone being declared;

(c) may be amended or revoked by further declaration at any time.

(2) In the case of a protection zone or a surveillance zone, the Department shall not revoke the declaration of the zone until—

(a) all necessary cleansing and disinfection has been carried out at all premises in the zone on which swine vesicular disease has been confirmed;

(b) all premises with pigs have been visited by a veterinary inspector, who has—

(i) inspected and as necessary examined the pigs; and

(ii) collected such samples as the Department considers necessary; and

(c) all samples have been tested with negative results.

(3) Nothing in paragraph (1) shall deem any part of a premises lying outside Northern Ireland to be within a zone

Declaration of protection zones and surveillance zones on confirmation of the disease in the Republic of Ireland

32.—(1) If the Department is satisfied that the disease is present on premises (other than a slaughterhouse) in the Republic of Ireland—

(a) it shall declare an area to be a protection zone if those premises are situated within three kilometres of the border with Northern Ireland; and

(b) it shall declare an area to be a surveillance zone if those premises are situated within ten kilometres of that border.

(2) If the Department is satisfied that the disease is present at—

(a) any premises in the Republic of Ireland situated more than ten kilometres from the border with Northern Ireland, or

(b) a slaughterhouse or border inspection post in the Republic of Ireland situated within ten kilometres of the border with Northern Ireland,

it may declare an area to be a protection zone, or an area to be a surveillance zone, or both, in Northern Ireland.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), a protection zone or surveillance zone declared under this regulation shall be of such size as the Department considers fit so as to prevent the spread of disease.

(4) A declaration under this regulation shall designate the extent of any protection zone or surveillance zone declared and the Department shall ensure that—

(a) any such zone abuts the border with the Republic of Ireland;

(b) any protection zone extends from that border such that its boundary is at least three kilometres from the infected premises;

(c) any surveillance zone extends from that border such that its boundary is at least ten kilometres from the infected premises.

Publicity

33.—(1) The Department shall publicise—

(a) the extent of any zone declared under these Regulations;

(b) the nature of the restrictions and requirements relating to the zone;

(c) the dates of the declaration and ending of that zone.

(2) The Department shall where necessary erect signs where a road enters a protection or surveillance zone indicating the existence of the zone.