Article 15
United Kingdom
In the case of consignments of poultry and hatching eggs from Member States or regions of Member States which vaccinate poultry against Newcastle disease to a Member State or region of a Member State the status of which has been established in accordance with paragraph 2, the following rules shall apply:
hatching eggs shall come from flocks which are:
- (i)
not vaccinated, or
- (ii)
vaccinated using inactivated vaccine, or
- (iii)
vaccinated using a live vaccine, provided that vaccination has taken place at least 30 days before the collection of the hatching eggs;
day-old chicks (including chicks intended for restocking supplies of game) shall not be vaccinated against Newcastle disease, and shall come from:
- (i)
hatching eggs satisfying the conditions in point (a), and
- (ii)
a hatchery where working practice ensures that such eggs are incubated at completely separate times and locations from eggs not satisfying the conditions in point (a);
breeding and productive poultry shall:
- (i)
not be vaccinated against Newcastle disease, and
- (ii)
have been isolated for 14 days before consignment, at either a holding or a quarantine station under the supervision of the official veterinarian. In this connection, no poultry at the holding of origin or quarantine station, as applicable, may have been vaccinated against Newcastle disease during the 21 days preceding consignment and no bird which is not due for consignment may have entered the holding or the quarantine station during that time; in addition, no vaccination may be carried out in the quarantine stations, and
- (iii)
have undergone, during the 14 days preceding consignment, representative serological testing, with negative results, to detect Newcastle disease antibodies in accordance with detailed rules adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 33(2);
slaughter poultry shall come from flocks which:
- (i)
if not vaccinated against Newcastle disease, satisfy the requirements of point (c)(iii);
- (ii)
if vaccinated, have undergone, during the 14 days preceding consignment and on the basis of a representative sample, a test to isolate Newcastle disease virus complying with detailed rules adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 33(2).
If a Member State or a region or regions of Member State wish to be established as Newcastle disease non-vaccinating they may present a programme as referred to in Article 16(1).
The Commission shall examine the programmes presented by the Member States. The programmes may be approved, in compliance with the criteria referred to in Article 16(1), in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 33(2). Any additional guarantees, general or specific, which may be required in intra-Community trade may be defined in accordance with the same procedure.
Where a Member State or a region of a Member State considers it has achieved Newcastle disease non-vaccinating status, an application may be made to the Commission for Newcastle disease non-vaccinating status to be established in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 33(2).
The elements to be taken into account for determination of a Member State’s or region’s status as Newcastle disease non-vaccinating shall be the data referred to in Article 17(1) and, in particular, the following criteria:
vaccination against Newcastle disease in poultry shall not have been authorised for the preceding 12 months, except for the compulsory vaccination of racing pigeons referred to in Article 17(3) of Council Directive 92/66/EEC of 14 July 1992 introducing Community measures for the control of Newcastle diseasef1;
breeding flocks shall have been serologically monitored at least once a year for the presence of Newcastle disease according to the detailed rules adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 33(2);
the holdings shall contain no poultry which has been vaccinated against Newcastle disease in the previous 12 months, with the exception of racing pigeons vaccinated pursuant to Article 17(3) of Directive 92/66/EEC.
The Commission may suspend Newcastle disease non-vaccinating status in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 33(2) in the event of either:
a serious epizootic of Newcastle disease which is not being brought under control; or
the removal of the legislative restrictions prohibiting systematic recourse to routine vaccination against Newcastle disease.