Division 2 Surveillance design

Sampling and serological testing in poultry holdings shall be carried out in order to detect the presence of antibodies to avian influenza, as defined in Directive 2005/94/EC.

That active surveillance complements the early detection systems already in place in F1Great Britain as provided for in Decision 2005/734/EC and in Chapter II of the Diagnostic Manual for avian influenza approved by Commission Decision 2006/437/EC (the Diagnostic Manual); in particular those implemented in poultry holdings that are deemed at being at a higher risk for avian influenza introduction.

Two main internationally recognised methods exist for animal disease surveillance: (a) risk-based surveillance; and (b) surveillance based on representative sampling.