The Control of Salmonella in Poultry Order 2007

Article 7

SCHEDULE Breeding or laying flocks of the species Gallus gallus

Application

1.—(1) This Schedule applies in relation to any holding on which one or more breeding flocks of the species Gallus gallus of at least 250 birds are kept.

(2) It applies in relation to any holding on which one or more laying flocks of the species Gallus gallus are kept unless all the eggs are—

(a) for private domestic use, or

(b) supplied in small quantities by the producer to the final consumer or to local retail shops.

(3) Any reference to an occupier is a reference to an occupier of such a holding.

(4) All references in this Schedule to birds are references to birds of the species Gallus gallus, and all references to flocks are to flocks of those birds.

Notification of arrival of breeding flocks

2.—(1) The occupier must notify the Secretary of State of the expected date of arrival at the holding of every breeding flock of at least 250 birds.

(2) The notification must be made at least two weeks before the expected date of arrival.

Notification of movement to laying phase of breeding flocks

3.  At least two weeks before a breeding flock is expected to move to the laying phase, or to a laying unit, the occupier must notify the Secretary of State of the date that the flock is expected to—

(a) move to the laying phase or laying unit; and

(b) end its production cycle.

Breeding flocks: sampling times

4.  The occupier must take samples from each breeding flock on the holding—

(a) when the birds are chicks;

(b) when the birds are four weeks old;

(c) two weeks before the date the flock is moved to a laying unit or (if they are not moved) the date they are expected to come into lay; and

(d) every second week during the laying period.

Laying flocks: sampling times

5.  The occupier must take samples from each laying flock on the holding—

(a) when the birds are chicks;

(b) two weeks before the date the flock is moved to a laying unit or (if they are not moved) the date they are expected to come into lay; and

(c) every 15 weeks during the laying period, starting when the birds are between 22 and 26 weeks old.

Method of sampling chicks

6.—(1) An occupier who samples chicks under this Schedule must take—

(a) one chick box liner or hatcher tray liner for every 500 chicks delivered from each hatchery, up to a maximum of 10 liners; and

(b) the carcases of all chicks, up to a maximum of 60, delivered from each hatchery that are dead on arrival at the holding.

(2) In this paragraph—

“chick box liner” means any material used to line a box or other container in which chicks are transported from the hatchery to the holding; and

“hatcher tray liner” means any material used to line a box, tray or other container in which eggs are incubated and hatched.

Sampling of four-week-old birds etc.

7.—(1) An occupier must use the methods set out in this paragraph when sampling—

(a) in the case of breeding flocks, four-week-old birds; and

(b) in the case of both breeding flocks and laying flocks, birds two weeks before the date they are moved to a laying unit or (if they are not moved) the date they are expected to come into lay.

(2) The sample must consist of—

(a) a minimum of two pairs of boot swabs; or

(b) a composite faeces sample.

(3) In this paragraph, “a composite faeces sample” means a sample of faeces consisting of at least sixty samples each of which weighs not less than 1 gram and each of which is taken from a site selected at random to represent the flock from which it is taken.

Method of sampling during the laying period

8.  Samples taken during the laying period must be taken in accordance with point 2.2.2.1 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1003/2005 (in the case of breeding flocks) or point 2.2 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No.1168/2006 (in the case of laying flocks).

Submission of samples to an approved laboratory

9.—(1) The occupier must, on the day a sample is taken under these Regulations, dispatch it to a laboratory approved by the Secretary of State for the purposes of testing for the presence of salmonella.

(2) The occupier must identify the samples and provide the following information—

(a) the name of the occupier;

(b) the address of the holding;

(c) the type of samples;

(d) the date on which the samples were taken;

(e) the identification of the flock;

(f) the age of the flock;

(g) in the case of a breeding flock—

(i) whether the flock is a flock of layer breeders or meat breeders; and

(ii) the status in the breeding pyramid of the flock.

Records of samples

10.—(1) The occupier must, as soon as is reasonably practicable after taking a sample, record—

(a) the type of sample taken;

(b) the date on which the sample was taken;

(c) the identification of the flock from which the sample was taken;

(d) the age of the flock sampled;

(e) the laboratory to which the sample was sent.

(2) The occupier must record the result of each test when it is received from the laboratory.

Records of movements

11.  When birds or eggs (other than eggs for human consumption) are moved on to or off a holding the occupier must record—

(a) the date of the movement;

(b) whether the movement was on to or off the holding;

(c) the number of birds or eggs moved;

(d) the age of the birds moved;

(e) in the case of the movement of an entire flock, the identification of that flock;

(f) the identity of the building or group of buildings in to or from which the birds or eggs were moved;

(g) the address of the holding that they came from or were sent to.

Duties on the person in charge of a laboratory

12.—(1) The person in charge of a laboratory who receives samples must ensure that the sample is refrigerated and that the examination begins within 48 hours of receipt.

(2) That person must prepare a sample from chick box liners or hatcher box liners by—

(a) taking a piece of soiled liner weighing at least one gram from each liner;

(b) bulking together all the pieces from a consignment; and

(c) placing the bulked material in Buffered Peptone Water (BPW) at the rate of not more than 1 gram of liner for every 10 ml of BPW.

(3) In the case of breeding flocks that person must—

(a) prepare boot swab samples in accordance with point 3.1.2 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1003/2005;

(b) prepare any other samples of faeces in accordance with point 3.1.3 of that Annex; and

(c) test the samples for salmonella in accordance with the method in point 3.2 of that Annex.

(4) For laying flocks that person must—

(a) prepare boot swab samples in accordance with point 3.1.1 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1168/2006;

(b) prepare any other samples of faeces or dust in accordance with 3.1.2 of that Annex; and

(c) test the samples for salmonella in accordance with the method in point 3.2 of that Annex.

(5) That person must send the results as soon as practicable to the person who submitted the sample.