Text consolidated by Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre) with amending regulations of: 10 November 2009 [shall come into force from 1 January 2010]; 12 June 2012 [shall come into force from 15 June 2012]. If a whole or part of a paragraph has been amended, the date of the amending regulation appears in square brackets at the end of the paragraph. If a whole paragraph or sub-paragraph has been deleted, the date of the deletion appears in square brackets beside the deleted paragraph or sub-paragraph.

Republic of Latvia Cabinet Regulation No. 844 Adopted 13 October 2008

Procedures for the Circulation of Poultry and Hatching Eggs

Issued in accordance with
Section 25, Clause 1 of the Veterinary Medicine Law

I. General Provisions

1. This Regulation prescribes the procedures for the circulation of poultry and hatching eggs among the Member States of the European Union (hereinafter - Member States) and import thereof from the countries other than the Member States of the European Union (hereinafter - third countries).

2. This Regulation shall not apply to poultry for exhibitions, shows or contests.

3. The following terms are used in this Regulation:

3.1. poultry - fowl, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, quails, pigeons, pheasants, partridges and ratites (Ratitae) reared or kept in captivity for restocking of the flock, the production of meat or eggs, or for restocking supplies of game;

3.2. hatching eggs - eggs laid by poultry referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.1 of this Regulation which are intended for incubation and classified in conformity with poultry species, category and type;

3.3. day-old chicks - all poultry less than 72 hours old and not yet fed (however, muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) or their crosses may be fed);

3.4. breeding poultry - poultry 72 hours old or more and intended for the production of hatching eggs;

3.5. productive poultry - poultry 72 hours old or more and reared for the production of meat or eggs for human consumption or for restocking supplies of game;

3.6. slaughter poultry - poultry intended for slaughter and to be slaughtered within 72 hours after their arrival at a slaughterhouse;

3.6.¹ establishment - a joint territory or a part of the territory, which is arranged appropriately and is used for the activities referred to in Sub-paragraphs 3.7, 3.8, 3.9 and 3.10 and Paragraph 32 of this Regulation;

3.7. pedigree poultry establishment - an establishment where hatching eggs are obtained for restocking of breeding flock (flock - all poultry of the same health status kept in the same premises or in the same enclosure and constituting a single epidemiological unit. In housed poultry, flock includes all birds sharing the same airspace);

3.8. a breeding poultry establishment - an establishment, which produces hatching eggs for the production of productive poultry;

3.9. a breeding chick-rearing establishment - an establishment, which rears breeding poultry chicks before reaching the reproductive stage;

3.10. a productive chick-rearing establishment - an establishment, which rears productive poultry chicks until the laying stage;

3.11. [12 June 2012];

3.12. quarantine station - isolated premises where the poultry is kept in complete isolation and away from direct or indirect contact with other poultry, so as to ensure performance of observation and examination of poultry;

3.13. sanitary slaughter - destruction, subject to all the necessary health safeguards (including disinfection), of all poultry and products, which are infected or suspected of being contaminated.

[12 June 2012]

4. [12 June 2012]

5. The supervision and control of this Regulation shall be carried out by the Service.

6. [12 June 2012]

II. Procedures for Registration and Approval of an Establishment and Procedures for Suspension and Withdrawal of Approval

7. [12 June 2012]

8. In order to approve an establishment, it shall lodge a submission for approval of the activities of the establishment to the territorial unit of the Service. The following shall be indicated in the submission:

8.1. the name, legal address, location address, telephone and fax number, e-mail address of the establishment;

8.2. the registration number of the establishment in the Enterprise Register or the registration number of the commercial company or individual merchant in the Commercial Register;

8.3. the type of activity.

9. The establishment shall cover expenditure related to the approval of the activities thereof in accordance with the laws and regulations regarding fees for the State supervision and control activities carried out by the Food and Veterinary Service.

10. The Service shall examine the submission for approval of the activities of the establishment within 10 working days and agree with the submitter regarding the date of commencement of the approval procedure of the activities of the establishment.

11. The Service shall inspect the relevant establishment in conformity with the requirements of this Regulation and draw up a statement in two copies. The first copy of the statement shall be issued to the establishment, but the other copy shall be kept by the Service.

12. If the establishment conforms to the requirements laid down in Chapter III of this Regulation, the Service shall, in accordance with the procedures laid down in the laws and regulations after performance of the inspection, take a decision to approve the establishment and notify the establishment in writing thereof, and grant an approval number thereto.

13. If the establishment does not conform to the requirements laid down in Chapter III of this Regulation, the Service shall, in accordance with the procedures laid down in the laws and regulations after performance of the inspection, take a decision to refuse to approve the establishment and notify the establishment in writing thereof, specifying the reason for such refusal.

14. If a decision to approve the establishment is taken, the establishment shall be included in the register subject to supervision by the Service and an approval certificate shall be issued. The certificate shall specify:

14.1. the name, legal address and location address of the establishment;

14.2. the registration number of the establishment in the Enterprise Register or the registration number of the commercial company or individual merchant in the Commercial Register;

14.3. the type of activity;

14.4. the approval number granted.

15. In order to ensure supervision and control of the establishment, the Service shall:

15.1. at least once a year inspect the conformity of the establishment with hygiene requirements and control its activities;

15.2. examine the information accumulated in the establishment's data registration system and poultry health inspection data.

16. The Service shall temporarily suspend approval of an establishment:

16.1. if the requirements laid down in Chapter III of this Regulation are not met;

16.2. if inspection of the establishment in respect of possible infection with contagious diseases is not completed in the following cases:

16.2.1. Newcastle disease or avian influenza is suspected at the establishment;

16.2.2. the establishment has received poultry or hatching eggs from an establishment with a suspected outbreak of Newcastle disease or avian influenza or an outbreak of these infections has been established;

16.2.3. the establishment has had a direct or indirect contact with the site of an outbreak of avian influenza or Newcastle disease and therefore there is a possibility for the poultry to be infected with the above-mentioned diseases in the establishment;

16.3. until such time as repeated laboratory testing is obtained, which excludes any suspicion of infection of the flock with salmonella (S.pullorum, S.gallinarum, S.arizonae) or mycoplasma (M.gallisepticum or M.meleagridis);

16.4. until such time when in the establishment in accordance with the instructions of a Service inspector:

16.4.1. premises are arranged in conformity with the requirements laid down in this Regulation;

16.4.2. application and adherence to a disease surveillance programme is ensured;

16.4.3. premises are equipped in conformity with the type of activity of the establishment.

[12 June 2012]

17. The Service shall withdraw approval, if:

17.1. an outbreak of Newcastle disease or avian influenza occurs at the establishment;

17.2. the results of repeated laboratory tests for determination of salmonella (S.pullorum, S.gallinarum, S.arizonae) or mycoplasma (M.gallisepticum, M.meleagridis) are positive;

17.3. after a repeated inspection it is established that the establishment fails to conform to the requirements laid down in Chapter III of this Regulation.

17.¹ In the case referred to in Sub-paragraph 17.2 of this Regulation in the site with several establishments, the Service shall withdraw only approval of the infected establishment, if it is established in the inspection that poultry in each establishment of the site are held, reared and fed separately and transfer of the infectious pathogenic agents referred to in Sub-paragraph 17.2 from the infected establishment to other establishment located in the site is not possible.

[12 June 2012]

18. The Service shall restore approval of an establishment, if:

18.1. after suspicion of an outbreak of Newcastle disease or avian influenza in the establishment, the result of laboratory tests carried out repeatedly is negative;

18.2. after detecting a suspicious result, in carrying out laboratory tests for determination of salmonella (S.pullorum, S.gallinarum, S.arizonae) or mycoplasma (M.gallisepticum, M.meleagridis), the result of laboratory tests is negative;

18.3. sanitary slaughter has been carried out after an outbreak of Newcastle disease or avian influenza and at least 21 days have elapsed after washing and disinfection of the premises and equipment;

18.4. sanitary slaughter has been carried out, the site has been washed and disinfected after an outbreak of salmonella (S.pullorum, S.gallinarum, S.arizonae) and negative results of laboratory tests for determination of presence of salmonella have been obtained in two tests performed with an interval of at least 21 days;

18.5. after an outbreak of mycoplasma (M.meleagridis, M.gallisepticum) negative results of laboratory tests for determination of presence of mycoplasma have been obtained in two tests performed with an interval of at least 60 days.

[12 June 2012]

18.¹ The Service on its website shall post and update the list of approved establishments on regular basis.

[10 November 2009]

III. General Requirements for Approval of an Establishment

19. An establishment shall be approved, if:

19.1. the poultry referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.1 of this Regulation are placed in it;

19.2. arrangement of the premises of the establishment ensures compliance with the requirements of hygiene and health monitoring of the flock;

19.3. equipment compatible with the particular type of activity is present in the premises;

19.4. disease supervision and control of contagious poultry diseases are carried out in conformity with the laws and regulations regarding prevention and combating of animal infections;

19.5. it conforms to the requirements defined respectively in this Chapter, Chapters IV, V and VI of this Regulation.

20. An establishment shall develop internal procedure regulations in which hygiene requirements of the establishment are determined.

21. The personnel employed in the establishment shall be ensured with appropriate work clothing, visitors - with protective clothing.

22. Buildings, cages, devices and inventory of the establishment shall be kept clean and in a proper technical order.

IV. Requirements for Pedigree Breeding and Breeding Poultry Establishment and Pedigree Breeding and Productive Chick-Rearing Establishment

23. In a poultry and chick rearing establishment:

23.1. the premises shall be arranged in conformity with the type of production and so as the spread of contagious poultry diseases can be prevented or, if an outbreak has occurred, the setting and layout of the premises shall ensure combating of the contagious disease;

23.2. different species of poultry shall be kept separately;

23.3. the equipment shall be in good technical condition;

23.4. vehicles for transporting poultry and hatching eggs shall be washed and disinfected in a separated part of the facility or at a place specially intended for such purpose.

24. In the poultry rearing stage the "all-in/all-out" principle shall be complied with (the rearing system where animals are kept only in one age group and are not mixed until release from the site, thus ensuring restriction of the spread of infectious pathogenic agents in the flock).

25. Washing and disinfection shall be carried out before each restocking of the flock or before placement of new batch of chicks.

26. Hatching eggs:

26.1. shall be collected at certain intervals; however, at least once a day, as soon as possible after they have been laid;

26.2. after collection shall be cleaned and disinfected (if disinfection is not intended to be carried out in a hatcher located in the territory of Latvia);

26.3. shall be placed in a disposable packaging or in a clean and disinfected packaging intended for reuse.

[12 June 2012]

27. In a poultry and chick rearing establishment the following is reared:

27.1. poultry produced in the establishment itself;

27.2. poultry or chicks transported from other approved establishment;

27.3. poultry and chicks imported from third countries in accordance with the requirements of this Regulation.

28. The poultry holder or owner shall notify a practising veterinarian regarding changes in behaviour or productivity of the poultry, which indicate an outbreak of a contagious disease or causes suspicion of an outbreak of a contagious disease.

[12 June 2012]

29. If there is suspicion regarding an outbreak of a contagious disease, a practising veterinarian shall inform the Service thereof and take samples to be sent to an accredited laboratory (a laboratory, which carries out testing of contagious diseases referred to in this Regulation and is accredited with the State agency "Latvian National Accreditation Bureau" in conformity with standard LVS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005 "General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories") for determination of the diagnosis.

[12 June 2012]

30. If the results of laboratory tests approve the suspicion regarding an outbreak of a contagious disease in the flock and a contagious poultry disease is detected, the owner, holder of poultry or a person authorised by the head of the laboratory shall immediately inform the practising veterinarian and the Service thereof.

[12 June 2012]

31. The following data shall be registered in the establishment and shall be kept for at least two years after the liquidation of the flock:

31.1. arrival of the poultry in the establishment or departure therefrom;

31.2. productivity of the poultry;

31.3. level of morbidity and mortality and causes thereof;

31.4. any laboratory tests and the results thereof;

31.5. the place of origin of the poultry;

31.6. the destination of eggs.

V. Requirements for a Hatchery

32. A hatchery (an establishment for egg hatching and production of day-old chicks) shall be arranged separately from poultry-rearing premises. The layout shall be such as to allow performance of the following activities:

32.1. egg sorting and storage;

32.2. disinfection;

32.3. pre-incubation;

32.4. hatching;

32.5. packaging of hatching eggs and day-old chicks and preparation thereof to be dispatched to other establishment.

33. A hatchery shall be arranged so as to prevent rodents and birds from getting in it.

34. Floors and walls shall be made of a hard-wearing, impervious and washable material.

35. Equipment shall have smooth and waterproof surfaces.

36. Natural or artificial lighting shall be installed.

37. The ventilation system shall ensure a stable temperature appropriate for the technological process (adjustable temperature).

38. Collection and evacuation of waste products (fallen chicks, incubated eggs which have not hatched) shall be ensured.

39. Operation flow for eggs, mobile equipment and servicing personnel shall be based on a one-way circuit preventing crossing.

40. The following eggs shall be used for hatching:

40.1. eggs obtained from an approved pedigree breeding or breeding establishment of a Member State;

40.2. eggs imported from third countries in accordance with the requirements of this Regulation.

41. The following shall be disinfected in the hatchery:

41.1. hatching eggs - between the time of their arrival to the hatching until the hatching process or until sending to other Member State or third country. Disinfection is not necessary, if hatching eggs are disinfected at the pedigree breeding establishment or breeding poultry establishment, where they have been produced;

41.2. hatchery premises - at specific time periods;

41.3. hatchers - after the hatching of each batch of chicks.

[12 June 2012]

42. The following information shall be registered and kept by the establishment for at least two years:

42.1. the establishment of origin of the hatching eggs and their arrival date;

42.2. hatching stage of eggs;

42.3. any abnormalities of hatched chicks;

42.4. any laboratory tests and the results thereof;

42.5. vaccination;

42.6. the number and the destination of incubated eggs, which have not hatched;

42.7. the destination of day-old chicks.

43. The poultry holder or owner shall notify a practising veterinarian regarding changes in the behaviour or productivity of chicks, which indicates an outbreak of a contagious disease.

[12 June 2012]

44. As soon as a contagious disease is suspected, the practising veterinarian shall take samples, send them to an accredited laboratory for detection of the diagnosis and inform the Service thereof.

[12 June 2012]

45. If results of laboratory tests approve an outbreak of a contagious disease, the owner, holder of the poultry concerned or a person authorised by the head of the laboratory shall immediately inform a practising veterinarian and the Service thereof.

[12 June 2012]

46. The results of microbiological tests shall be used for assessment of the hygiene situation in the hatchery.

VI. Surveillance and Control of Poultry Contagious Diseases in the Establishment

47. The owner of the establishment shall establish a poultry contagious disease control programme and co-ordinate it with the Service. The programme shall determine the procedures for carrying out:

47.1. control of salmonella (S.pullorum, S.gallinarum) for fowl, turkeys, guinea fowl, quails, pheasants, partridges and ducks;

47.2. control of salmonella (S.arizonae) for turkeys;

47.3. control of mycoplasma (M.gallisepticum) for fowl and turkeys;

47.4. control of mycoplasma (M.meleagridis) for turkeys.

[12 June 2012]

48. The procedures for sample taking for serological or bacteriological tests shall be determined in the control programme for salmonella (S.pullorum, S.gallinarium, S.arizonae).

[12 June 2012]

49. Samples for detection of presence of the pathogenic agent of salmonella (S.pullorum, S.gallinarium, S.arizonae) shall be taken, as appropriate, from blood of poultry, embryos dead-in-shell, second grade chicks, meconium (excrement of chicks) or post mortem tissues, especially liver, spleen, ovary or oviduct and ileo-caecal junction.

[12 June 2012]

49.¹ Direct enrichment in Selenite-cysteine broth shall be used for cultivation of samples obtained from meconium and intestinal samples. Non-selective pre-enrichment followed by selective enrichment in soya based Rappaport-Vassiliadis (RVS) broth or Müller-Kauffmann Tetrathionate-novobiocin broth (MKTTn) may be used for samples (such as embryos dead-in-shell) where competing flora is expected to be minimal.

[12 June 2012]

50. When blood samples are taken from a flock for serological testing for salmonella (S.pullorum, S.arizonae), the spread of the infection in the country and its past incidence in the establishment shall be taken into account in determining the number of samples to be taken.

50.¹ Samples for bacteriological testing for detection of salmonella shall be taken from poultry or eggs that have not been treated with antimicrobial medicinal products during the two to three weeks prior to sample taking.

[12 June 2012]

50.² If poultry is vaccinated with Salmonella Enteritidis vaccine, the presence of pathogenic agents of salmonella shall be detected by bacteriological testing, using a method capable of differentiating live vaccinal strains from field strains.

[12 June 2012]

50.³ It is prohibited to vaccinate poultry with Salmonella Enteritidis vaccine from the flocks for which serological testing is intended in the salmonella surveillance programme.

[12 June 2012]

51. Salmonella (S.pullorum, S.gallinarium, S.arizonae) testing shall be carried out during each laying period.

[12 June 2012]

52. The procedures for sample taking for serological, bacteriological or molecular tests, as well as the procedures for control of air sacs of fallen day-old chicks and turkey poults shall be determined in the mycoplasma control programme.

[12 June 2012]

53. One of the following samples shall be taken for detecting the presence of Mycoplasma agent:

53.1. a blood sample from poultry and day-old chicks;

53.2. swabs taken from sperm or the trachea, the choanae, cloaca or air sacs.

[12 June 2012]

53.¹ In addition to the samples referred to in Paragraph 53 of this Regulation, swabs shall be taken from oviduct and Penis of turkeys for detecting the presence of M.meleagridis.

[12 June 2012]

54. Samples for mycoplasma (M.gallisepticum, M.meleagridis) control in a poultry flock for performance of laboratory tests shall be started to be taken prior to laying and every three months thereafter.

55. If a suspicious of positive result is detected in laboratory tests, the Service shall carry out the activities referred to in Paragraphs 16, 17, 17.¹ and 18 of this Regulation.

[12 June 2012]

56. The Service shall not withdraw approval of the establishment, if it is determined in the inspection that the possibility of transfer of the infectious pathogenic agent from the infected production unit to a non-infected unit is not possible because:

56.1. the establishment consists of several production units and a contagious disease is detected only in a separate production unit;

56.2. separate keeping, rearing and feeding of healthy poultry are ensured in the establishment.

VII. Requirements for Marketing of Poultry and Hatching Eggs Among Member States of the European Union

57. Hatching eggs, day-old chicks, breeding poultry and productive poultry may be marketed if an establishment satisfies the following requirements:

57.1. it is approved and it has been given an approval number;

57.2. at the time of the consignment, no restrictions related to poultry health are determined for the establishment;

57.3. in the territory, where the establishment is located, restrictive measures related to an outbreak of a poultry contagious disease are not determined;

57.4. at the time of consignment, no suspicion of a possible contagious poultry disease or clinical signs of a contagious disease are observed in the flock.

58. Hatching eggs may be marketed, if at the time of the consignment they:

58.1. come from a flock, which:

58.1.1. has been held for more than six weeks in one or several approved establishments of Member States;

58.1.2. is vaccinated in conformity with the requirements referred to in Paragraph 59 of this Regulation (if it has been vaccinated);

58.1.3. has undergone examination in accordance with the procedures laid down in Paragraph 60 of this Regulation and, at the time of the examination, no infringements have been detected, poultry has been recognised as clinically healthy and no suspicion of a possible contagious poultry disease has arisen;

58.2. is marked in accordance with the requirements laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 of 27 June 2008 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EC) No. 1234/2007 as regards marketing standards for eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks;

58.3. has been disinfected in accordance with the instructions of a Service inspector.

[12 June 2012]

59. If poultry is vaccinated in a Member State, the following vaccine shall be used:

59.1. which conforms with the requirements laid down in the European Community;

59.2. manufacture, examination and distribution of which is subject to official control.

60. In order to prevent the possibility of spread of a contagious poultry disease, prior to bringing out hatching eggs, a Service inspector shall carry out an examination in the establishment in accordance with one of the following schemes:

60.1. a Service inspector shall, during the 72 hours preceding the consignment, carry out health examination, by assessing whether no clinical signs of a poultry disease or suspicion of any contagious poultry disease is observed;

60.2. if less than 31 days have elapsed since the last monthly examination by a Service inspector, then, in order to assess the current health status of the flock and exclude any presence of a contagious poultry disease, up-to-date information supplied by the person in charge of the flock during the 72 hours preceding the consignment shall be used.

[12 June 2012]

61. If a contagious poultry disease, which may be transmitted through eggs develop in the flock, which supplied the hatching eggs during the period of their incubation, the hatchery involved and the competent authority responsible for the surveillance in the relevant hatchery and also the flock of origin shall be notified.

62. Day-old chicks may be marketed, if they:

62.1. have been obtained from flocks, which:

62.1.1. have been held for more than six weeks in one or several approved establishments of the Member States;

62.1.2. have been inspected in accordance with the procedures laid down in Paragraph 60 of this Regulation;

62.1.3. are not the subject of any health restrictions applicable to poultry at the time of the consignment;

62.1.4. in the territory, where the establishment is located, restrictive measures related to the outbreak of a poultry contagious disease are not determined;

62.1.5. are vaccinated in conformity with the requirements referred to in Paragraph 59 of this Regulation (if they have been vaccinated);

62.2. are clinically healthy at the time of the consignment.

63. Breeding poultry and productive poultry may be marketed, if:

63.1. they have been held since hatching or for more than six weeks in one or more approved establishments of the Member States;

63.2. they are vaccinated in conformity with the requirements referred to in Paragraph 59 of this Regulation (if they have been vaccinated);

63.3. have been submitted to a health examination by a Service inspector during the 48 hours preceding the consignment and, at the time of the examination, have presented no clinical signs of a contagious poultry disease and no suspicion has arisen regarding a possible contagious disease.

[12 June 2012]

64. Slaughter poultry may be marketed, if they are dispatched form an establishment:

64.1. where they have been held since hatching or for more than 21 days;

64.2. which is not the subject of any animal health restrictions applicable to poultry;

64.3. where a health examination has been carried out by a Service inspector during the five days preceding the consignment and, at the time of the examination, has presented no clinical signs of a contagious poultry disease and no suspicion has arisen regarding a possible contagious disease;

64.4. which is located in an area where restrictions related to an outbreak of a contagious poultry disease are not determined.

[12 June 2012]

65. Poultry over 72 hours old intended for restocking supplies of wild game may be marketed, if it comes from an establishment:

65.1. where it has been held since hatching or for more than 21 days and where it has not been placed in contact with newly-arrived poultry during the two weeks preceding the consignment;

65.2. which is not the subject of any animal health restrictions applicable to poultry;

65.3. where a health examination has been carried out by a Service inspector during the 48 hours preceding the consignment and, at the time of the examination, has presented no clinical sign of contagious poultry diseases and no suspicion has arisen regarding a possible contagious disease;

65.4. which is located in an area where restrictions related to an outbreak of a contagious poultry disease are not determined.

[12 June 2012]

66. Poultry and hatching eggs comprising fewer than 20 units in a consignment, except for ratites (Ratitae) and their hatching eggs, may be marketed, if they come from a flock:

66.1. which has been held in the European Community since hatching or for at least last three months preceding the consignment;

66.2. in which clinical signs of a contagious poultry disease are not detected at the time of the consignment;

66.3. is vaccinated in conformity with the requirements referred to in Paragraph 59 of this Regulation (if they have been vaccinated);

66.5. which is not the subject of any animal health restrictions applicable to poultry;

66.6. which is located in an area where restrictions related to an outbreak of a contagious poultry disease are not determined;

66.6. in which poultry in the consignment has been found negative in serological tests for salmonella (S.pullorum and S.gallinarum);

66.7. in which poultry in the last three months preceding the consignment of hatching eggs or day-old chicks has been tested serologically for salmonella (S.pullorum and S.gallinarum), by using a method, which gives 95 % confidence of detecting infection at 5 % prevalence.

[12 June 2012]

67. In the case of consignment of poultry and hatching eggs from a Member State, which vaccinates poultry against Newcastle disease to a Member State or a region of a Member State where poultry is not vaccinated against Newcastle disease, the following rules shall apply:

67.1. hatching eggs shall come from a flock, which is not vaccinated, or is vaccinated using an inactivated vaccine, or vaccinated using a live vaccine at least 30 days before the collection of the hatching eggs;

67.2. day-old chicks (including chicks intended for restocking supplies of game) shall not be vaccinated against Newcastle disease, and shall come from:

67.2.1. hatching eggs satisfying the requirements laid down in Sub-paragraph 67.1 of this Regulation;

67.2.2. a hatchery where working practice ensures that such eggs are hatched at completely separate times and locations from eggs not satisfying the requirements of Sub-paragraph 67.1 of this Regulation;

67.3. breeding and productive poultry shall come from a flock, in which:

67.3.1. poultry is not be vaccinated against Newcastle disease;

67.3.2. poultry has been isolated for the 14 days preceding the consignment, by placing it at a quarantine station and ensuring supervision by a Service inspector;

67.3.3. no poultry at the holding of origin or quarantine station has been vaccinated against Newcastle disease during the 21 days preceding the consignment;

67.3.4. during the 14 days preceding the consignment representative samples taken for serological testing to detect Newcastle disease antibodies have negative results;

67.4. breeding and productive poultry not intended for consignment may not be brought in the holding or the quarantine station, and no vaccination may be carried out in the quarantine stations;

67.5. during the 14 days preceding the consignment of slaughter poultry representative samples taken for serological testing to detect Newcastle disease antibodies have negative results, if poultry comes from flocks, which are not vaccinated against Newcastle disease;

67.6. during the 14 days preceding the consignment of slaughter poultry representative samples are taken to detect Newcastle disease virus, if poultry is vaccinated.

[12 June 2012]

68. If Latvia wishes to acquire the status, which does not foresee vaccination of poultry against Newcastle disease, the Service shall submit a programme to the European Commission, in which the following information shall be indicated:

68.1. the spread of the disease in the territory of Latvia;

68.2. the reasons for the programme, taking into consideration the importance of the disease and the economic effect;

68.3. the geographical area, in which the programme will be implemented;

68.4. the status categories to be applied to establishments, the standards which shall be attained in each category, and the test procedures to be used;

68.5. the programme monitoring procedures;

68.6. the action to be taken if an establishment loses its status;

68.7. the measures to be taken if the results of the tests are positive.

69. In order to acquire the status that does not foresee vaccination against Newcastle disease, the following requirements shall be ensured in Latvia:

69.1. vaccination against Newcastle disease in poultry has not been carried out for at least the preceding 12 months (except for racing pigeons);

69.2. breeding flocks shall be serologically examined at least once a year for the presence of Newcastle disease;

69.3. the establishment shall keep no poultry, which has been vaccinated against Newcastle disease during the preceding 12 months (with the exception of racing pigeons).

70. In carrying out marketing of poultry and hatching eggs between Member States, consignment shall be accompanied with a veterinary (health) certificate. A veterinary (health) certificate shall be drawn up by meeting the following conditions:

70.1. the shall certificate conform to the relevant model laid down in Annex to this Regulation;

70.1. the certificate shall be completed on the date of loading in the Latvian language and in the official language or languages of the Member State of destination;

70.3. the certificate shall be valid for five days;

70.4. the certificate shall be drawn up on one sheet or several mutually inseparable sheets;

70.5. the certificate shall be drawn up for each consignee;

70.6. the certificate shall be signed by an inspector authorised by the Service;

70.7. the certificate shall bear a stamp and a signature of a different colour from that of the text on the certificate.

[12 June 2012]

71. The Service may grant one or several Member States of dispatch a general authorisation or authorisation limited to a specific case permitting entry into the territory of Latvia of poultry and hatching eggs without the veterinary (health) certificate.

VIII. Requirements for Import of Poultry and Hatching Eggs from Third Countries

72. Poultry and hatching eggs may be imported from third countries or parts thereof, which are included in the list drawn up by the European Commission.

73. Poultry and hatching eggs shall be produced in a flock, which:

73.1. prior to the consignment had been held without interruption in the territory or part of the territory of such country;

73.2. satisfy the animal health requirements laid down in this Regulation.

74. When importing poultry and hatching eggs from third countries, the consignment shall be accompanied with a veterinary (health) certificate signed by an official veterinarian of the third country, which complies with the following requirements:

74.1. the certificate shall be issued on the day of loading;

74.2. it shall be drawn up in the language of the country of dispatch or language of the country of destination;

74.3. the certificate shall certify the conformity of poultry or hatching eggs with the requirements of this Regulation;

74.4. the certificate shall be valid for five days;

74.5. it shall be drawn up on one sheet or several mutually inseparable sheets;

74.6. the certificate shall be drawn up for each consignee;

74.7. the certificate shall bear a stamp and a signature of a different colour from that of the text on the certificate.

75. On arrival in the territory of Latvia, slaughter poultry shall be taken to a slaughterhouse for slaughter as soon as possible.

76. The Service may, on animal-health grounds, designate the slaughterhouse, to which the poultry shall be conveyed.

IX. Requirements for Transporting of Poultry and Hatching Eggs

77. Day-old chicks and hatching eggs shall be transported in either:

77.1. disposable containers to be used only once and then destroyed;

77.2. containers, which may be re-used provided they are cleaned and disinfected beforehand.

78. The containers shall contain only day-old chicks or hatching eggs of the same species, category and type of poultry, coming from the same establishment.

79. The container shall be labelled with:

79.1. the name of the Member State and region of origin;

79.2. the approval number of the establishment of origin;

79.3. the number of chicks or eggs in each container;

79.4. the name of poultry species.

80. Containers holding day-old chicks or hatching eggs may be transported in a common container. The number of containers placed and the information referred to in Paragraph 79 shall be shown on the common container.

81. Breeding and productive poultry shall be transported in crates or cages, on which the approval number of the establishment of origin is indicated and which contain only poultry of the same species, category and type, coming from the same establishment.

82. Contacting of the poultry in the consignment or coming into contact of hatching eggs with other poultry shall not be permissible during transportation, except the poultry conforming to the health status and type of use of the poultry in the consignment. Poultry and hatching eggs shall be conveyed to the consignee as soon as possible.

83. Vehicles, crates and, cages used for transportation of poultry shall be designed so as during transportation:

83.1. to prevent the coming of excrement into the external environment and to minimise the amount of feathers that come into the external environment;

83.2. to allow visual inspection of the poultry;

83.3. to allow cleansing and disinfection.

84. The vehicle and equipment thereof, and also reusable crates and cages shall be cleansed and disinfected in accordance with the instructions of the Service.

85. Poultry and day-old chicks may be transported through areas infected with Newcastle disease or avian influenza only by rail or along main roads.

X. Closing Provision

86. Cabinet Regulation No. 302 of 13 April 2004, Procedures for the Circulation of Poultry and Hatching Eggs (Latvijas Vēstnesis, 2004, No. 69), is repealed.

Informative Reference to European Union Directives

[12 June 2012]

This Regulation contains legal norms arising from:

1) Council Directive 92/65/EEC of 13 July 1992 laying down animal health requirements governing trade in and imports into the Community of animals, semen, ova and embryos not subject to animal health requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A(I) to Directive 90/425/EEC;

2) Council Directive 2009/158/EC of 30 November 2009 on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in, and imports from third countries of, poultry and hatching eggs.

Prime Minister I. Godmanis

Minister for Agriculture M.Roze

 

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Translation © 2017 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)