Division 2.1.1 Sampling at the initiative of the food business operator

Sampling shall take place every two weeks at the place designated by the competent authority from the following two possible options:

1. (a)

   at the hatchery; or

2. (b)

   at the holding.

The competent authority may decide to implement one of the options referred to in points (a) or (b) to the whole testing scheme for all broiler breeding flocks and one of those options for all layer breeding flocks. However, sampling of breeding flocks laying hatching eggs intended for F1export to a member State or movement to Northern Ireland, must take place on the holding.

A procedure shall be set up to guarantee that the detection of the presence of the relevant Salmonella serotypes during sampling at the initiative of the food business operator is notified without delay to the competent authority by the laboratory performing the analyses. Timely notification of the detection of the presence of any of the relevant Salmonella serotypes shall remain the responsibility of the food business operator and the laboratory performing the analyses.

By way of derogation from the first paragraph of this point, if the F2... target has been achieved for at least two consecutive calendar years in the F3constituent territory, sampling at the holding may be extended to take place every three weeks, at the discretion of the competent authority. However, the competent authority may decide to keep or revert to a two-week testing interval in the case of detection of the presence of the relevant Salmonella serotypes in a breeding flock on the holding and/or in any other case deemed appropriate by the competent authority.