Article 172U.K.Obligation of operators to register aquaculture establishments
1.Operators of aquaculture establishments shall, in order for their establishments to be registered in accordance with Article 173, before they commence such activities:
(a)inform the competent authority of any aquaculture establishment under their responsibility;
(b)provide the competent authority with the following information:
the name and address of the operator concerned;
the location of the establishment and a description of its facilities;
the species, categories and quantities (numbers, volume or weight) of aquaculture animals which they intend to keep on the aquaculture establishment and the capacity of the aquaculture establishment;
the type of aquaculture establishment; and
any other aspects of the establishment which are relevant for the purpose of determining the risk posed by it.
2.Operators of aquaculture establishments referred to in paragraph 1 shall inform the competent authority in advance of:
(a)any significant changes in the aquaculture establishment in question concerning the matters referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1;
(b)any cessation of activity by the operator or aquaculture establishment concerned.
3.Aquaculture establishments which are subject to approval in accordance with Article 176(1) and Article 177 shall not be required to provide the information referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.
4.An operator may apply for registration as provided for in paragraph 1 to cover a group of aquaculture establishments, provided that they fulfil either of the following conditions:
(a)they are located in an epidemiologically linked area and all operators in that area operate under a common biosecurity system;
(b)they are under the responsibility of the same operator and operate under a common biosecurity system, and the aquaculture animals of the establishments concerned form part of a single epidemiological unit.
Where an application for registration covers a group of establishments, the rules laid down in paragraphs 1 to 3 of this Article and in point (b) of the first paragraph of Article 173, and the rules adopted pursuant to Article 175 which are applicable to a single aquaculture establishment, shall be applicable to the group of aquaculture establishments as a whole.