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Biosecurity: Cleansing and disinfection of livestock vehicles

It is essential to keep up and improve standards of biosecurity on livestock vehicles if we want to cut down the risk of spreading of disease.

This is a summary of the rules for the cleansing and disinfection of livestock vehicles contained in the Transport of Animals (Cleansing and Disinfection) (No.3) Order 2003. The rules for commercial hauliers and farmers' own vehicles are the same. The main requirements are that:

After unloading the animals, the vehicle must be fully cleansed and disinfected as soon as is reasonably practicable, before the vehicle is used again and in any case within 24 hours after it is unloaded. Wheels, wheel arches and mud flaps must always be cleansed and disinfected whenever the vehicle is cleansed and disinfected. [Note that livestock vehicles, whether empty or loaded, must also have their wheels, wheel arches and mud flaps cleansed and disinfected when leaving market premises as part of the market licence conditions].

Drivers leaving a market or slaughterhouse with an empty dirty vehicle must complete a declaration to say where they will take their vehicle for cleansing and disinfection and give the declaration to the market or slaughterhouse operator.

If a vehicle is used exclusively in a single day for transporting animals between the same two points (except where these are two sets of sale premises), full cleansing and disinfection only has to take place before the first journey and after the last journey of the day.

Because cleansing and disinfection is so important in disease control, checks will be carried out to make sure that the rules are followed. You may be prosecuted if you do not follow them.

Transport of Animals (Cleansing and Disinfection) (England) (No3) (Amendment) Order 2007

The Transport of Animals (Cleansing and Disinfection) (England) (No 3) Order 2003 (C & D Order 2003) contains animal health provisions relating to when and how livestock vehicles should be cleansed and disinfected.

Article 30 of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 2006 revoked Article 4 and Schedule 1 of the C & D Order 2003. Article 4 was revoked, as the original Community animal welfare provisions, on which it was based, were also revoked.

However, Schedule 1 should not have been revoked, as this Schedule sets out certain circumstances in which the animal health requirements of Article 3 of the C & D Order do not apply. Article 3 and Schedule 2 of the C & D Order set down the provisions for C & D of vehicles transporting animals which are required for disease control purposes. Schedule 1 lists the types of movement where there is no risk of spreading disease and the requirement to cleanse and disinfect is not appropriate.

The necessary amendment to the above C & D Order, to reinstate Schedule 1, has now been made by the Transport of Animals (Cleansing and Disinfection) (England) (No3) (Amendment) Order 2007 which will come into force on 24 April 2007. In the meanwhile, Defra's intention is that the provisions of Article 3 should not apply in the circumstances set out in the old Schedule 1. Local Authorities have been asked to consider enforcement of the Order in the light of this.

Article 3 paragraph 6 of the C & D Order 2003 was also an old welfare provision based on Community law that has subsequently been revoked. Article 3(6) is therefore no longer required. The amending Order also deletes this Article from the original C & D Order 2003.

 

Page last modified: September 9, 2009