ARCHIVE: Importer Information Note (IIN) for the importation of live poultry from other EU Member States and Norway into England (IIN A/6)

Contents

Important

  1. These notes explain the conditions which apply to imports of live poultry from other EU Member States, Norway and Switzerland into England.
  2. These notes should be read in conjunction with the notes describing the veterinary checks applicable to all live animals and genetic material imported into England (Importer Information Note IIN A/1).
  3. These notes are for guidance only. They do not give comprehensive coverage of all conditions laid down in EU and national legislation and have no legal force. Importers must satisfy themselves that poultry is imported in accordance with all the relevant legislation. The authoritative legal position can be found in the appropriate national legislation and European Community Directives and Decisions
  4. Specimen copies of model health certificates referred to in this note can be sent to traders or importers on request
  5. Personal data may be stored and processed by Defra on computer systems. Defra complies with the standards set by the Data Protection Act
  • These notes may not cover situations where emergency safeguard action has been taken, e.g. to prohibit the importation of certain animals from certain countries following an outbreak of serious disease in those countries. Importers are advised to contact the Department to check if any safeguard action has been taken in relation to the animals/country of origin. Outbreaks and procedure information can be found in our Customer Information Notes (CINs) and within our Declarations website.

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Introduction

1.“Poultry” is defined in Council Directives 2009/158/EEC and 92/65/EEC (as amended) as fowls, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, quails, pigeons, pheasants, partridges and ratites reared or kept in captivity for breeding, the production of meat or eggs for consumption, or for re-stocking supplies of game.

Council Directive 2009/158/EEC and this note do not apply to the importation of poultry for exhibitions, shows or contests.

For guidance on importing other live birds and animals, and animal derived products, please see the relevant Importer Information Notes (IINs).

2. The importation of live poultry into England from other EU Member States and from Norway and Switzerland (see paragraph 9) is provided for in the Animals and Animal Products (Import and Export) Regulations 2006 (SI No. 1471). All poultry imported from other Member States and from Norway must comply with EU animal health rules governing intra-Community trade.

3. Importers wishing to import poultry for exhibitions, shows or contests into England, please refer to the necessary conditions for captive birds from EU Member States, as contained in IIN A/9.

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Conditions applicable to imports from EU Member States

4. All poultry imported from other EU Member States must comply with the conditions of Council Directive 2009/158/EEC (as amended). Conditions applicable to imports of fewer than 20 poultry (not including ratites) from EU Member States and Norway can be found at paragraph 8 below.

For consignments of 20 or more poultry Council Directive 2009/158/EEC, in general, requires that:

  1. breeding and productive poultry must originate from premises which have been approved by the veterinary authorities in the country of origin in accordance with the detailed requirements laid down
  2. poultry for immediate slaughter and poultry intended for the re-stocking of supplies of game do not need to originate from an approved premises but must come from a holding where the animals have been held since birth or for at least 21 days. The birds must not come from an area which is subject to animal health restrictions as a result of a notifiable disease outbreak
  3. poultry for immediate slaughter and poultry intended for the re-stocking of supplies of game do not need to originate from an approved premises but must come from a holding where the animals have been held since birth or for at least 21 days. The birds must not come from an area which is subject to animal health restrictions as a result of a notifiable disease outbreak
  4. all consignments of poultry must be accompanied by an original health certificate which conforms to the relevant model laid down in Annex IV of the Directive and signed by an official veterinarian of the exporting Member State. The health certificate must:consist of a single sheet
    be made out to a single consignee
    be stamped and signed with ink of a different colour to that of the certificate<
    be valid for 5 days
  5. All birds in the consignment must have been found negative in serological tests for Salmonella pullorum and Salmonella gallinarum antibodies, in accordance with Annex II, Chapter III, in the month preceding the consignment. In the case of hatching eggs or day-old chicks, the flock of origin must be tested serologically for Salmonella pullorum and Salmonella gallinarum in the three months preceding the consignment at a level which gives 95 % confidence of detecting infection at 5 % prevalence.

5. Adult birds must travel in cages/crates with only the same species, category and type of bird from the same establishment.

6. Adult birds must travel in cages/crates/vehicles which are designed so as to prevent the loss of excrement and minimise the loss of feathers during transport, allow visual inspection of poultry and allow cleansing and disinfection.

7. Poultry may not be transported through areas infected with Newcastle disease or avian influenza except by trunk road or rail.

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Conditions applicable to consignments of fewer than 20 live poultry (not including ratites)

8. In general, Council Directive 2009/158/EEC requires that consignments of fewer than 20 poultry (not including ratites), must at the time of consignment, have come from flocks which:

i. have been held in the EU Community since hatching or for at least 3 months;

ii. present no clinical signs of contagious poultry disease at the time of consignment;

iii. satisfy the vaccination conditions of Annex III of 2009/158/EEC (if they are vaccinated);

iv. are not the subject of any animal health restrictions applicable to poultry;

v. are not located within an area which for animal health reasons is subject to restrictive measures in accordance with Community legislation as a result of an outbreak of disease to which poultry is susceptible.

vi. all consignments of poultry must be accompanied by an original health certificate which conforms to the model 4 certificate laid down in Annex IV of the Directive and signed by an official veterinarian of the exporting Member State. The health certificate must:

  • be completed on the day of loading
  • consist of a single sheet
  • be made out to a single consignee
  • be stamped and signed with ink of a different colour to that of the certificate
  • be valid for 5 days

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Conditions applicable to imports from Norway and Switzerland

6. As a signatory of the European Economic Area Agreement, Norway and Switzerland have agreed to implement EU veterinary legislation in relation to the movement of live animals and eggs between member countries. Therefore live poultry imported from Norway and Switzerland must comply with the same requirements which apply to trade within the EU. However, consignments must enter the EU through an approved Border Inspection Post (see IIN A/1).

Welfare of animals during transport

10. Importers are reminded that they must comply with rules on the welfare of animals during transport. If unfamiliar with the rules, importers should contact Defra’s Welfare Branch on 020 7904 6576 or the Animal Health Welfare in Transport Section on 0845 603 8395 or visit: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare

Contact for information

11. For information about intra-community trade in and imports of live poultry, and other live animals and animal derived products, please contact:

Animal Health Import Team
Government Offices
Beeches Road
Chelmsford
Essex CM1 2RU

Tel: 01245 454860
E-mail: AHITchelmsford@animalhealth.gsi.gov.uk

Caution

1. Whilst every attempt is made to keep this information note current, import conditions may change, and importers are responsible for checking the current status of the requirements. Safeguard measures which prohibit imports from countries affected by animal diseases, or other public or animal health hazards can prohibit or restrict import at very short notice. Requirements can be checked on the Defra website. Outbreaks and procedure information can also be found in our Customer Information Notes (CINs).

Alternatively, amendments to EU legislation are available on the Commission website.

Community legislation – consolidated texts

2. Consolidated texts, which integrate the basic instruments of Community legislation with their amendments and corrections in a single, non-official document, are available on the Commission website. Each consolidated text contains a list of all legal documents taken into account for its construction. Therefore, a comparison with the data in the 'Directory of Community legislation in force' will allow users to easily check how up to date the consolidated text is.

Texts provided in this section are intended for information only. Please note that these texts have no legal value. For legal purposes please refer to the texts published in the 'Official Journal of the European Communities'.

3. Importers should note that the information given relates only to animal health conditions of import. It does not give guidance on other controls which may need to be met. An information page, giving details of other organisations which importers may need to consult, is available.

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Page last modified: 7 September, 2009
Page published: 26 June, 2006