1. health and fitness
2. disease

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
March 2015
Intra-Union Trade in Day Old Chicks
Notes for Guidance of the Official Veterinarian
(OV) and Exporters
Page 1 of 14
Contents
1.
Key Documents .................................................................................................................... 3
2.
Notifiable Disease Clearance: ............................................................................................... 3
3.
Scope.................................................................................................................................... 3
4.
Checklists ............................................................................................................................. 3
Checklist A (Day Old Chicks-Flock-CKL).................................................................................. 3
Checklist B (Day Old Chicks-Hatchery-CKL) ............................................................................ 6
5.
6.
Completion of ITAHC: Specific Guidance ............................................................................. 9
Part II. 1.
Animal Health Attestation ...................................................................................... 9
Part II. 2.
Public Health Attestation ..................................................................................... 11
Part II. 3.
Additional Health Information .............................................................................. 12
Notification to CIT Exports, Carlisle of completion and signature / amendment of ITAHC .. 12
7. Certified Copies of ITAHCs .............................................................................................. 12
8.
Welfare of the Animals ........................................................................................................ 13
Page 2 of 14
1. Key Documents
The following key documents must be read and understood prior to completing and signing the
Intra-trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC) for day old chicks:




Day Old Chicks-NFG - this document
Day Old Chicks-Flock-CKL - checklist procedures regarding the flock of origin
Day Old Chicks-Hatchery-CKL - checklist procedures regarding the hatchery
Poultry-Salmonella-NFG – Guidance for exports to Finland and Sweden.
2. Notifiable Disease Clearance:
Official Veterinarians may certify membership of the Poultry Health Scheme and the following
paragraphs of the Checklists on behalf of the Department provided written authority to do so
has been obtained from Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Centre for international Trade
(CIT) Exports, Carlisle on form TRACES NDC:


A1, A2, A3 and A4 (a) or (b) of Day Old Chicks-Flock-CKL
B4, B5, and B6 (a) or (b) of Day Old Chicks-Hatchery-CKL
The TRACES NDC must bear the same certificate reference number as the ITAHC (or
Checklist) to which it relates.
3.
Scope
This ITAHC 2011/879 (2009/158) Day-old chicks (Model IV 2) may be used for the export of
day old poultry to another Member State of the European Union, or to Switzerland. Exports of
live poultry and hatching eggs to countries within the European Union are harmonised under
Council Directive EU 2009/158/EC. Under separate EU legislation, poultry movements between
Switzerland and the Member States are treated in the same way as movements within the EU.
Poultry is defined in the Directive as “fowl, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, quail, 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”. Note that the Checklists and
Notes for guidance refer only to day old ‘chicks’ for the sake of simplicity, but they
should be taken as applying to day-old birds of any of the poultry species.
Some sections of the ITAHC require the OV to certify compliance with Articles in the Directives
rather than itemising each condition separately. The Checklists are provided in order to explain
each of those conditions, and if the answer to each question in the Checklists is ‘YES’, the
consignment will comply with the relevant Articles of the Directives.
4. Checklists
Checklist A (Day Old Chicks-Flock-CKL)
If some or all the birds for export are derived from hatching eggs imported from another EU
Member State or a Third Country a flock checklist is not required for the flocks of origin of the
imported eggs. The options at section B1 of the hatchery checklist are not mutually exclusive.
The hatchery checklist will cover common provisions for all the birds in the consignment.
Page 3 of 14
Certification of specific sections of the ITAHC must reflect the assurances given for flocks of
origin in the UK or contained in the certificate(s) that accompanied the hatching eggs at import
from another EU Member State or Third Country.
(a) Separate consignments
A separate ITAHC export health certificate and a separate Checklist must be completed for
each separate consignment. A ‘consignment’ is defined as a group of birds of the same
health status, from the same premises, travelling together in one container or vehicle to the
same consignee at the same place of destination.
(b)
Approved establishment: Questions A1 and A2
Flocks and hatcheries must be approved under Directive 2009/158/EC in order to export to
other member States of the EU. In Great Britain approval is implemented by membership
of the Poultry Health Scheme (PHS). CIT Exports, Carlisle will confirm that the flock of
origin is currently a member of the PHS on the TRACES NDC form. Note that a flock must
have been a member of the PHS for at least 6 weeks before it may export to another
member State of the EU.
(c)
Notifiable diseases: Questions A3 and A4
Note that question A3 refers to restrictions that may have been applied specifically to the
premises of origin themselves, whereas question A4 refers to restrictions on the area in
which the premises are located.
The TRACES NDC will authorise the certification of either question A4 (a) or A4 (b), but not
both. With respect to question A4 (b):
(i)
The provisions for declaration of a Restricted Zone, also known as Area B, around
an infected premises at which highly pathogenic avian influenza of sub-type H5N1 has
been confirmed, are contained in Commission Decision 2006/415/EC.
(ii)
It is prohibited to move day old chicks out of a hatchery or any other premises in
Area B. However derogation exists, under which the day old chicks may be moved if they
have fulfilled one of the following conditions (Article 6):
(iii)
At the time when the hatching eggs were collected, the premises on which they
were laid was not located in an Area B. Note that it is the status of the area at the time of
egg collection that matters, regardless of what may have happened in that area
subsequently. In order to certify this point (question A4, sub-question (c)(i)), the
veterinarian who completes checklist A must act on the basis of his/her personal
knowledge of the premises, and if there is any doubt about the status of the area on the
date of egg collection, he/she should consult CIT Exports, Carlisle.
(iv)
If the location of the flocks of origin was inside an Area B at the time of egg
collection, the exporter may rely on serological testing of the flocks of origin (question A4,
sub-question (c) (ii)). The veterinarian who completes checklist A must act on the basis
of his/her personal knowledge of the premises, supported by an inspection of the relevant
laboratory reports. The holding (which means the whole farm site rather than each
individual flock) must have been serologically tested at a level which will provide 95%
probability of detecting disease at 5% prevalence.
This means at least 60 birds must be tested, if the population is above 500 birds. The
samples should be taken within 14 days prior to the intended date of export. The
laboratory testing must be carried out by APHA laboratory Weybridge, as this is an official
export test.
Page 4 of 14
Note that there is no stipulation in the Decision that the importing member State must be
consulted, or officially confirm that it is willing to accept the consignment. However the
exporter is strongly advised to get their customer to confirm with the local competent
authority in the destination Member State that they have no objection to the import, in order
to avoid any possible complications.
(d)
Inspection of Flock of Origin: Question A5
If option A5(b) is chosen then the Flock Veterinarian must, at some time during the
72 hours prior to the despatch of the eggs to the hatchery:
i
examine the health and production records of the flock
and
ii
evaluate the current health status of the flock as assessed by up-to-date
information supplied by the person in charge of the flock. In the case where records or
other information gives rise to the suspicion of disease in the flock(s), then the Flock
Veterinarian must carry out both a clinical health examination of the flock(s) and send any
relevant samples to an officially approved laboratory in order to rule out the possibility of
contagious poultry disease.
(e)
Approved vaccines: Question A6
Any vaccine used in the flock of origin must have a marketing authorisation issued by the
Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) of DEFRA or the equivalent licensing body in
another EU Member State. The use of vaccines imported under a VMD issued Special
Import Certificate (SIC) or, of autogenous vaccines manufactured and used with the
approval of the VMD, can be considered to have the equivalent of a marketing
authorisation in the UK.
(f)
Disinfection of eggs: Question A7 and B7
Eggs may be disinfected with any product designed for that purpose provided that it is
used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Hatching eggs must be disinfected at
least once as follows: Eggs need to be disinfected prior to despatch to the hatchery or
before setting for incubation at the hatchery/ despatch of the eggs to another Member
State.
If the checklist completed by the flock veterinarian does not confirm that disinfection has
taken place at the flock of origin, then the certifying OV must ensure that disinfection takes
place before setting the eggs for hatching of the day-old chicks for export.
Ideally the flock veterinarian or the certifying OV should have been present to personally
verify that disinfection was carried out. However there are many reasons why this may not
be practicable and the flock veterinarian may confirm the disinfection at the checklist and
the OV may certify this paragraph provided that all of the following conditions have been
met:
-
-
-
on a regular and routine basis the veterinarian should observe the disinfection process
carried out on the Company’s flocks;
for each flock referred to on the present certification the veterinarian should receive a
written statement from the flock manager or other responsible person to confirm that
the disinfection has been carried out;
the veterinarian is sufficiently familiar with the Company and its procedures to have
reasonable faith that they are being carried out correctly.
Page 5 of 14
(g)
Salmonella testing: Question A9 & A10
Regulation 1003/2005 introduced new procedures for testing flocks of breeding chickens
for Salmonellas from January 2007, and for turkey breeding flocks from January 2010.
The Regulation is implemented in England by the Control of Salmonella in Poultry Order
2007, and its equivalent in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Section II.2 of the
ITAHC: This public health assurance must always be certified for chickens and turkeys.
However, for consignments to Finland and Sweden, this statement is applicable for any
poultry species and this section of the certificate also needs to be completed. Additionally,
for consignments intended to these three countries compliance with Commission
Decision 2003/644/EC must be certified at section II.1. (f) – therefore both section II.1(f)
and Section II.2 must be completed (see Salmonella Notes for guidance for further
information). The Official Veterinarian must check the flock records to confirm that the
appropriate tests have been carried out at the correct frequency with negative results.
Checklist B (Day Old Chicks-Hatchery-CKL)
The options at section B1 of the hatchery checklist are not mutually exclusive. The hatchery
checklist will cover common provisions for all the birds in the consignment. Certification of
specific sections of the ITAHC must reflect the assurances given for flocks of origin in the UK or
contained in the certificate(s) that accompanied the hatching eggs at import from another EU
Member State or Third Country.
(h)
Support documents: Question B1
If the flock of origin is covered by a different veterinarian from the OV who completes
the ITAHC, the Checklist A must be completed separately for each flock of origin by the
veterinarian responsible for the flock. The flock veterinarian must be an MRCVS or
FRCVS, but it is not essential for him/her to be an Official Veterinarian on the poultry
export panel 1. k. The Checklist A must be signed as a support document and forwarded
by fax or post to the OV at the final point of departure who completes the ITAHC.
If the hatching eggs from which the day old birds were hatched were imported from another
Member State or a third country, the ITAHC/CVED accompanying the hatching eggs into
the UK fulfils the same function as Checklist A. The OV must see a copy of the health
certificate and ensure that the relevant assurances for certification of the day-olds were
covered in the original certificate accompanying the hatching eggs.
If the hatching eggs from which the day old birds were derived were imported from a Third
Country, the Common Veterinary Entry Document (CVED) together with the export health
certificate which accompanied the import fulfils the function of Checklist A. The OV must
see copies of both documents.
(i)
Disease notification to the hatchery: Question B3
It is requirement of Directive 2009/158/EC that the responsible person at the flocks of
origin must inform the hatchery about any indication of disease likely to be transmitted
through eggs, if this should develop in the flocks during the incubation period.
(j)
Approved establishment: Question B4
Hatcheries must be approved under Directive 2009/158/EC in order to export to other
member States of the EU. In Great Britain approval is implemented by membership of the
Poultry Health Scheme (PHS) CIT Exports, Carlisle will confirm that the flock of origin is
currently a member of the PHS on the TRACES NDC form.
Page 6 of 14
(k)
Notifiable diseases: Questions B5 and B6
CIT Exports, Carlisle will confirm on the TRACES NDC form that the hatchery is free from
restrictions. Note that, if the hatchery is ‘designated’ under legislation to deal with an
outbreak of avian influenza, it may be regarded as free from restrictions.
Question B6 refers to the area in which the hatchery is located. If the area is under
restrictions because of an outbreak of avian influenza, it may be possible to export day old
chicks from the hatchery under the terms of derogation provided in EU Decision
2006/415/EC. The details of this derogation are explained in NFG paragraph 4 (c) above.
(l)
Marking of hatching eggs: Question B7
All hatching eggs must be marked prior to placing into an incubator in one of the following
two ways:i
Method 1 requires the eggs to be marked at the producer establishment, the mark
being the producer establishment’s registration number. The number must be printed
in an indelible black ink and the characters must be at least 2mm high and 1mm wide.
ii
Method 2 requires the eggs to be marked before they are placed in an incubator.
The mark must be clearly visible and printed in indelible black ink having an area of at
least 10mm2. Marking may be done either at the producer establishment or at the
hatchery. Neither the shape of this mark or its maximum size is specified in the UK.
Note that the marking requirement applies only to eggs of the species chicken,
turkey, ducks, geese and guinea fowl.
(m) Approved vaccines: Question B8
Any vaccine used in the chicks must have a marketing authorisation issued by the
Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) of DEFRA or the equivalent licensing body in
another EU Member State. The use of vaccines imported under a VMD issued Special
Import Certificate (SIC) or, of autogenous vaccines manufactured and used with the
approval of the VMD, can be considered to have the equivalent of a marketing
authorisation in the UK.
(n)
Health of the Day Old Birds: Question B9
The OV must confirm from the hatchability and cull data that there is no reason to suspect
the presence of any infectious disease.
(o)
Disease in the flock of origin: Question B10
Confirmation that the flock of origin is free from any clinical sign or suspicion of contagious
poultry disease must be obtained at the time of consignment, or within 72 hours prior to
consignment of the day old chicks. This may be done by:
-
a visit to the flock of origin; or
telephone/fax/email contact with the veterinarian responsible for the flock of origin (if it
is considered that he/she will have up to date knowledge); or
a written declaration from the owner/manager of the flock by fax or email stating that
there has been no variation in production performance or any other sign suggesting the
presence of disease.
Concerning flocks of origin in another EU Member State or in Third Countries:
It is a condition of Directive 2009/158/EC that the responsible person at the flock of origin
must inform the hatchery, and the authorities responsible for the hatchery, if any eggPage 7 of 14
transmissible poultry diseases are discovered at the flock during the incubation period. If
the eggs have been imported from another EU Member State or a Third Country, the
health certificates required under the the EU Directive or the Commission Regulation (EC)
No 798/2008 contain the statement that the flock of origin complies with all the conditions
of Directive 2009/158/EC, which evidently includes this obligation to notify. On this basis it
is possible to accept the ITAHC or Third Country import health certificates as sufficient
assurance that no such diseases have been discovered in the flocks of origin, if they have
not been notified.
Concerning flocks of origin which have been culled before hatching:
If a flock of origin has been culled or disposed of for management reasons during the
incubation period of the eggs, question B10(a) may be ticked ‘YES’ if the certifying OV has
either:
(i) undertaken a health inspection of the flock within 72 hours prior to disposal and found
no clinical signs or suspicion of contagious poultry diseases; or
(ii) received a written support certificate from the veterinarian responsible for the flock of
origin stating that he/he carried out an inspection within 72 hours prior to the disposal,
and no clinical signs or suspicion of contagious disease were found; or
(iii) received a written statement from the Company veterinarian stating that the flock was
disposed of for normal management reasons, and no clinical signs or suspicion of
contagious disease were present at the time of disposal.
(p)
Disinfection of vehicles: Question B16
Disinfectants are officially approved under the Diseases of Animals (Approved
Disinfectants) Order 2007 (as amended) and equivalent legislation in Wales and Scotland.
The list contains over 200 brands of disinfectant approved for use with poultry on the basis
of their efficacy against Newcastle disease and avian influenza viruses. Officially
approved disinfectants carry a statement on the container and other references to their
approval may be found in their data sheets or label instructions.
In the absence of outbreaks of Notifiable Avian Influenza and Newcastle disease, this can
be certified by the OV on the basis of declarations from the owner/ manager/driver, as
appropriate, as stipulated in the Checklist.
If an outbreak of the above diseases was confirmed in the country, the OV might be
required to supervise the disinfection personally. In such case, the OV should seek advice
from CIT Exports, Carlisle as these guidance notes may need to be updated.
(q)
Newcastle disease vaccination: Question B17
The additional vaccination information is required only for those countries which do not
permit Newcastle disease vaccination, and whose status has been accepted by the EU
Commission. At present those countries are Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. The
answer ‘YES’ must be given to all 3 parts of this paragraph. If the consignment is not
destined for one of those countries, the question may be deleted.
(r)
Avian Influenza outbreaks: Question B18
Refer to paragraphs 4. (c ) and 4. (k) above.
Page 8 of 14
5. Completion of ITAHC: Specific Guidance
(a)
Completion of Part 1, box I.31 - Identification of the animals
Exporters must complete Box I.31 of Part 1 with the following information:






Poultry species;
Category (ie: pure line/grandparents/parents/laying pullets/fattening/others);
Approval number: the PHS approval number of the premises of origin
Identification: identification details of the parent flock and brand name
Age: date of collection/date of hatching/approximate age in weeks
Number of packages and quantity (disregard this columns at this section as the
information needs already been provided at sections I.20 and I.22)
The Official Veterinarian must be satisfied that each animal meets the identification
description recorded in Part I.31 of the health certificate. The OV (NOT someone in the
employ of the exporter, transporter or agent) is responsible for verifying the identification
marks or other appropriate details of each animal recorded in the certificate.
Part II. 1. Animal Health Attestation
(b)
Part II, section II. 1. (a) – Articles in the Directive
The content of Articles 6, 9 and 18 are covered by the Checklist.
Article 6 covers approval details of the premises of origin, Article 9 covers health details of
the flock of origin, and Article 18 covers transport procedures.
The OV MUST select at least one of the options in section II. 1. (a) The choice of which
option(s) to retain must be based as follows:
Day-old chicks derived from eggs of EU origin (Options 1 & 2 apply)
The first option (default option) may be retained/selected and the second option
deleted/unselected if the checklist answers B1 to B16 are all yes, and this includes ‘yes’ to
questions A4 (a) and B1 (a) or (b) or (c). (this should also be the option certified in the
ITAHC under which the eggs were imported to the UK from another EU Member State).
(The certifying OV is responsible to ensure that disinfection of the eggs takes place at the
hatchery if appropriate- please see guidance at 4.(f) above on disinfection of eggs).
The second option may be retained/selected and the first option deleted/unselected if the
checklist answers B1 to B16 are all yes, and this includes ‘yes’ to questions A4 (b) and B1
(a) or (b) or (c) – to note that this option can only be used in case that a special licence has
been granted for the export of the birds hatched from eggs originating in flocks inside avian
influenza restricted areas, e.g. if their movement from approved compartments for hatching
outside the restricted area is allowed.
In case, option 2 must be selected if the of day-olds were hatched from eggs of UK or
other EU country origin that two benefited from the dispensation to allow their export from
avian influenza restricted areas, as indicated in the Flock checklist (UK origin) or the
ITAHC certificate (other Eu origin) accompanying the birds at importation.
Day-old chicks derived from eggs of Third Country origin (Options 3 & 4 apply)
Page 9 of 14
The third option (default option) may be retained/selected and the fourth option
deleted/unselected if the checklist answers B1 to B16 are all yes, and this includes ‘yes’ to
question B1 (d) and the the health certificate accompanying the hatching eggs from the
Third Country of origin indicated that they originate from an area free from restrictions
because of the avian influenza.
The fourth option may be retained/selected and the third option deleted/unselected if the
checklist answers B1 to B16 are all yes, and this includes ‘yes’ to question B1 (d), but the
health certificate accompanying the hatching eggs from the Third Country of origin
indicated that they had a special licence to be exported to the EU from an area which was
subject to restrictions because of the presence of a avian influenza.
(The special licence conditions permitted in options 2 and 4 may apply in the event of an
outbreak of avian influenza in poultry in GB or the Third Country of origin, if certain
conditions are met which will allow the export of poultry from within restricted zones under
a special licence. The EU legislation under which such exports may be permitted is
referred to in paragraph II.3.2 of the ITAHC, which will also be the subject of a TRACES
NDC provided by Carlisle SSC).
Day-old chicks derived from eggs of EU and Third Country origin
In cases of mixed consignments of birds hatched from EU and non-EU eggs two options
must be retained/selected in this section. Either option 1 or 2 (EU origin) AND 3 or 4 (nonEU origin) in this section must be retained/selected as described above.
Options 1 and 3 of this section will be the two default certification assurances needed.
(c)
Part II, section II. 1. (b) – Articles in the Directive
Article 15 (1)(b) covers special requirements relating to Newcastle disease vaccination
which apply only to exports to Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, and Checklist question B
17 refers. The section may be certified if the consignment is destined for one of those
countries, and the answer to all 3 parts of Checklist question B17 is ‘YES’. If not destined
to the countries above, the OV should delete this paragraph.
(d)
Part II, section II. 1. (c) - Articles 16 and 17 of the Directive
These Articles refer to additional guarantees with regards to voluntary disease control
programmes (Art. 16) by Member States (e.g. Salmonella programmes in Finland and
Sweden) and/or for diseases to which poultry are susceptible when consignments are
destined to a Member State claiming that the entire or part of its territory is free from a
particular poultry disease (Art. 17).
In both cases, the favourable assessment by the EU Commission of such MS
programmes/claims will lead to the publication of a Commission Decision in which
additional assurances for intra-Union trade to these countries are contained. Currently,
there are no programmes (other than the above mentioned, for which additional
assurances are now included in Section II.1(f) ) –or disease freedom claims by MS which
need to be certified under this paragraph and therefore this section can be deleted. These
guidance notes will be updated as appropriate if needed.
(e)
Part II, sections II. 1. (d) and (e) - Newcastle disease vaccination
Details of Newcastle disease vaccination is required for both the flocks of origin and the
day old chicks. Newcastle disease vaccination is not compulsory, but where a vaccine is
used, the date of vaccination, type and strain must be entered. This is to provide
epidemiological information in the event of an outbreak of disease.
Any lines that do not apply must be deleted.
Page 10 of 14
(f)
Part II, section II. 1. (f) - Commission Decision 2003/644/EC
This Decision requires additional assurances in respect of Salmonella for exports to
Finland and Sweden. See the separate notes ‘Poultry-Salmonella-NFG’ if the consignment
is destined for Finland, Sweden (and Croatia). If the consignment is not destined for one of
these countries,, this section should be deleted. See also paragraph 4(h) and 5(d) above
and 5(g) below.
Breeding flocks of chickens (Gallus gallus) and turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are legally
obliged to follow the testing regime required under the Control of Salmonella in Poultry
Order 2007 or equivalent legislation in the devolved administrations. Breeding flocks of
chickens and turkeys, provided that they have been tested according to this protocol with
negative results throughout the life of the flock, they will meet the requirements of Directive
2003/644/EC without the need for any additional testing. However, the flocks should
still be isolated for 15 days prior to export.
Part II. 2. Public Health Attestation
(g)
Note that the OV who completes the ITAHC must do so on the basis of a support
statement in question A8 (& A9) on the Day Old Chicks–Flock-CKL. The flock veterinarian
who certifies question A8 (& A9) must do so on the basis of his/her knowledge of the flock,
and an examination of relevant records and laboratory reports.
Regulation 2160/2003 lays down a testing programme for certain Salmonellas of human
significance: S.enteritidis, S.hadar, S.infantis, S.typhimurium, and S.virchow.
The regulations currently apply ONLY to flocks of the chicken (Gallus gallus) and turkey
(Meleagris gallopavo) species. From January 2007 onwards they apply to chicken breeding
flocks and from February 2008 to chicken flocks laying table eggs. From January 2009
they were extended to apply to flocks of broiler chickens, and from January 2010 to flocks
of breeding turkeys. If the species being exported is not chickens or turkeys in the
appropriate category, none of section II.2. applies and the OV should mark it as ‘Not
Applicable’.
(h)
Part II, section II. 2. (a)
Salmonella testing
The Regulation 2160/2003 is implemented in England by the Control of Salmonella in
Poultry Order 2007 (CSPO) and its equivalent in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If
the chicken or turkey flock is routinely tested according to the CSPO, the first sentence of
this paragraph can be certified.
Concerning the results of testing, it should be described as positive ONLY if:
In the case of breeding flocks, S.hadar, S.virchow, or S.infantis are detected.
In the case of table egg layers, S. enteritidis or S. typhimurium are detected
If any other serotype is detected, or if none are detected, the result may be described as
negative. The inapplicable line MUST be deleted.
(i)
Part II, section II. 2. (b)
Note that this section applies ONLY to breeding flocks. Thus, if the result in the section
above is shown as positive, but this section is certified as negative, it is clear that the flock
was only positive for either S.hadar, or S.virchow or S.infantis. The significance of this is
that the export may be allowed to proceed, subject to the agreement of the receiving
country, if the flock has been positive for one of those three, but not if it was positive for
S.enteritidis or S.typhimurium. This is admittedly a tortuous way of expressing things. The
Page 11 of 14
Commission’s reason for designing the ITAHC in this way is in order to allow for the
phasing in of future testing requirements, without having to make further changes in the
certificate.
Part II. 3. Additional Health Information
(j)
Part II, section II. 3. 1. – Commission Decision //EC
There ane not current EU Decision laying down conditions to be observed in the event of
highly pathogenic avian influenza of a subtype other than H5N1. This paragraph should be
deleted.
(k)
Part II, section II. 3. 1. – Commission Decision 2006/415/EC
This Decision lays down conditions to be observed in the event of highly pathogenic avian
influenza subtype H5N1 being confirmed in domestic poultry within a Member State. The
OV may certify this section on the basis of the TRACES-NDC form, provided by CIT
Exports, Carlisle confirming that the premises of origin are not subject to any exporting
restrictions imposed under the Decision (see questions A4 and B18 (B6) of CKL, and also
paragraph 5 (b) of these NFG).
(l)
Part II, section II. 3. 3 – Avian Influenza vaccination
Under Council Directive 2005/94/EC, vaccination of poultry against avian influenza is not
permitted within the EU, except in special circumstances in the face of an unusually high
perceived risk of disease. In this case a special Decision will be issued specifying the
conditions under which it is permitted. This paragraph is only applicable to MS which carry
out vaccination against avian influenza according to an EU-approved vaccination plan. The
UK does not have a vaccination plan for avian influenza and therefore this paragraph
should be deleted.
(m) Part II – Official signature
The Official Veterinarian must sign and stamp the ITAHC with the Official Veterinarian’s
official stamp in ink of any colour other than black. The completed ITAHC parts I and II
on a single sheet of paper will accompany the consignment to its final destination.
6. Notification to CIT Exports, Carlisle of completion and
signature / amendment of ITAHC
In order to meet the requirement for notification of animal movements to other Member
States, Official Veterinarians must notify CIT Exports, Carlisle that an ITAHC has been
completed and signed. Completed copies of the following documents must be emailed
(preferred option) or faxed to CIT Exports, Carlisle on the same day the ITAHC is signed:


Part 1 of the ITAHC (indicating any amendments)
completed Part 2 of the ITAHC
7. Certified Copies of ITAHCs
In cases where it is not possible to email or fax a copy of the original ITAHC following
signature, Official Veterinarians must complete a copy of the ITAHC at the same time as
the original. This copy must be clearly marked 'certified copy' and contain the identical
details as the original. The certified copy should be signed and stamped and must clearly
indicate that it is copy. It must be delivered to CIT Exports, Carlisle without delay.
Page 12 of 14
Any amendments to Part I of the ITAHC, e.g. changes in identification numbers of animals
in the consignment, must be clearly indicated so that the necessary amendments can be
made by CIT Exports, Carlisle prior to sending the TRACES movement notification to the
destination Member State.
8. Welfare of the Animals
The relevant provisions on the watering and feeding intervals for poultry and domestic
birds and for day old chicks during transport are laid down in point 2.1 of Chapter V to
Annex I of Council Regulation 1/2005.
Should transporters wish to provide water and feed outwith the prescribed periods laid
down in this legislation (over 12 hours disregarding loading and unloading time for adult
birds or 24 hours for chicks of all species, provided that the journey is completed within 72
hours after hatching) then they should first check with the AHVLA, Welfare in Transport
team (WIT Helpline: 0845 603 8395; Fax: 01228 591900 or Email: [email protected])
that their intended arrangements are appropriate to the age and species of the poultry
being transported and to the overall length of the journey.
In addition, exporters must comply with the British welfare laws relating to the export of
animals. If transported by air, animals should be transported in accordance with
International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards. Information about the necessary
requirements may be obtained from the Welfare in Transport team (contact details given
above).
ENGLAND, Scotland & Wales
Welfare in Transport Team at the APHA
Specialist Service Centre –International Trade - at Carlisle, via the link below:
http://animalhealth.defra.gov.uk/about/contact-us/tradeexports.html
Northern Ireland
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland
Dundonald House, Upper Newtownards Road, Ballymiscaw, Belfast, BT4 3SB. DARD
Helpline number 0300 200 7852.
DARD Helpline email [email protected]
DARD Textphone 028 9052 4420
These Notes For Guidance and the Checklist to which they refer are not part of the export
health certificate and so should not be attached to it, nor accompany the consignment to
the final destination. All completed Checklists should be retained by the certifying
veterinarian for a period of 12 months.
Page 13 of 14
© Crown copyright 2011
You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium,
under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy
Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or e-mail:
[email protected]
This document/publication is also available on our website at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/import-export/
Page 14 of 14