Citation, commencement and application

1. This Order—

(a) may be cited as the Specified Diseases (Notification) (Amendment) (England) Order 2015;

(b) comes into force on 18th December 2015; and

(c) applies in England.

Amendment to the Specified Diseases (Notification) Order 1996

2. —(1)The Specified Diseases (Notification) Order 1996( 2 ) is amended as follows.

(2) After article 3 insert—

“ Sharing information and providing advice on porcine epidemic diarrhoea: England

3A. —(1) Where a person has given notice to the Secretary of State of suspected porcine epidemic diarrhoea in pigs in England in accordance with article 3, this article applies.

(2) The Secretary of State must, as soon as reasonably practicable, supply the following information to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board ( 3 ) —

(a) the contact details of the person in possession of the pigs suspected of being infected with porcine epidemic diarrhoea, and

(b) the location of the suspect premises.

(3) Following receipt of the information mentioned in paragraph (2), the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board may—

(a) provide advice to the person in possession of the pigs about the disease;

(b) advise any pig keeper whose pigs are suspected of having contact with the suspect premises, and other pig keepers in the vicinity of the suspect premises, to take appropriate precautions to protect their pigs from porcine epidemic diarrhoea.

(4) Where a faecal sample tests positive for porcine epidemic diarrhoea, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board may—

(a) advise any pig keeper whose pigs are suspected of having contact with the suspect premises, and other pig keepers in the vicinity of the suspect premises, of the positive test result for porcine epidemic diarrhoea;

(b) disseminate the fact of the positive laboratory test result to those persons appearing to it to be representative of the interests of those in the pig industry as it considers appropriate.

(5) Prior to advising any pig keeper in accordance with paragraph (3)(b) or (4)(a), or disseminating information in accordance with paragraph (4)(b), the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board must inform the person in possession of the affected pigs of its intention to give such advice or disseminate such information (as the case may be). ” .

(3) In the list of diseases in Part 1 of Schedule 1 (specified diseases), after the disease name “Peste des petits ruminants” insert “Porcine epidemic diarrhoea”.

Review

3. —(1) The Secretary of State must from time to time—

(a) carry out a review of this Order;

(b) set out the conclusions of the review in a report; and

(c) publish the report.

(2) The report must, in particular—

(a) set out the objectives intended to be achieved by this Order;

(b) assess the extent to which those objectives are achieved; and

(c) assess whether those objectives remain appropriate and, if so, the extent to which they could be achieved with a system that imposes less regulation.

(3) The first report under this article must be published before the end of the period of five years beginning with the day on which the Order comes into force.

(4) Reports under this article are afterwards to be published at intervals not exceeding five years.