The Zoonoses Order 1989

Reporting of presence of designated organisms

8.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4) below, where the presence of a designated organism in a sample taken from an animal or bird, or from the carcase, products or surroundings of an animal or bird or from any feedingstuff is identified by a laboratory examination or by a serological or other examination carried out elsewhere than at a laboratory, the person in charge of the laboratory, or, in the case of an examination carried out elsewhere than at a laboratory, the person carrying out such examination shall forthwith make to a veterinary officer of the Minister a written or oral report containing the particulars specified in Schedule 2 to this Order.

(2) A person who is under an obligation to make a report under paragraph (1) above shall, if so required by an officer of the appropriate Minister, supply that officer with a culture of the designated organism in respect of which that obligation arose.

(3) Nothing in paragraph (1) above shall require a person to make a report where his knowledge or suspicion of the presence of a designated organism results from an identification made by or on behalf of the appropriate Minister.

(4) Where a designated organism has been deliberately introduced into an animal or bird in a research establishment and neither the animal or bird, nor any other animal or bird to which the organism might be transmitted, nor any carcase of, or product derived from, any such animal or bird, is to be sold or otherwise disposed of either for human consumption or for consumption by animals or birds or in any other way which may create a risk to human health, the fact that the presence of the organism is identified in a sample taken from the animal or bird shall not give rise to any obligation to make a report under paragraph (1) above.

(5) For the purposes of this article –

(a) “animal” means a bull, cow, steer, heiver, calf, horse, deer, sheep, goat, pig or rabbit;

(b) “bird” means a domestic fowl, turkey, goose, duck, guinea-fowl, pheasant, partridge, quail or pigeon;

(c) “research establishment” means an establishment carrying out research into a designated organism;

(d) “veterinary officer of the Minister” means an officer of the Minister who is a person registered in the register of veterinary surgeons or in the supplementary veterinary register; and

(e) each serotype of the genus salmonella shall be regarded as a separate organism and a person shall not be absolved from an obligation under paragraph (1) above to make a report in respect of an animal, bird or feedingstuff or in respect of the carcase, products or surroundings of an animal or bird by reason of the fact that a report in relation to another serotype of the genus salmonella, or to salmonella of an unidentified serotype, has already been made in respect of that animal, bird, carcase or feedingstuff or in respect of those products or surroundings.