Regolamenti dwar il-Hatcheries

LE{ISLAZZJONI SUSSIDJARJA 36.41

REGOLAMENTI DWAR IL-HATCHERIES

25 ta’ April, 1997

L-AVVI| LEGALI 51 ta’ l-1997.

It-titolu ta’ dawn ir-Regolamenti hu Regolamenti dwar il-

The title of these Regulations is Hatcheries Regulations.

(Regulation 5)

Standard Hatchery Requirements

(1) Hatching premises must not be used for any purpose other

than the incubation and hatching of poultry eggs.

(2) Any new hatcheries shall be separate and not be in direct

contact with livestock farms, processing plants of products of

animal origin, and habitable buildings. New hatcheries shall be

sited at least 200 metres from such premises.

(3) Hatchery buildings shall include physical separation of all

working areas. Each working area shall have separate ventilation

systems or such systems whereby the air-flow shall be in the same

direction as the movement of eggs and chicks. The working areas

are the following

(a) egg receiving and storage;

(b) egg traying;

(c) fumigation;

(d) setting or initial incubation;

(e) hatching;

(f)

sorting, sexing and boxing;

(g) material storage;

(h) facilities for washing equipment and disposal of waste;

(i)

restrooms and sanitary facilities;

(j)

office;

(k) incinerator or chemical form of organic matter

disinfection.

(4) Working area walls, ceiling and floors shall be lined with

washable impervious non-friable material.

(5) The licensee shall provide clean coveralls or overalls, hats

and washable or disposable footwear for all personnel and visitors

who shall enter the hatchery through the decontamination room.

(6) A disinfectant foot bath shall be installed at the hatchery

entrance using approved disinfectants.

(7) Hatchery personnel shall be provided with an approved

disinfectant solution or soap at all times and should wash their

hands before each operation.

(8) A hatchery shall always be supplied with potable hot and

cold water and water tanks shall be clean and covered.

(9) Hatchery personnel shall have no contact with other

poultry or poultry products.

(10) A licensee shall lay out a hatchery in such a manner that

only a one-way system for the movement of eggs and chicks shall

be operated.

(11) The premises shall be screened and protected against flies,

other insects, vermin and birds.

(12) Hatchery premises shall be surrounded by a security fence

and gate to control traffic. The area within the boundary fence shall

be kept free from rodents and other animals, and insect control with

approved insecticides shall be performed by the licensee.

(13) The hatchery area shall be kept free by the licensee from

all hatchery waste, refuse and discarded equipment.

(14) Approved waste disposal methods and adequate drainage

shall be made available by the licensee.

(15) (a) Broilers and layers shall be hatched separately.

(b) Pedigree, grandparent and parent stock shall be

hatched separately from each other and from broilers

and layers.

(c) Poultry eggs of different species of birds shall be

hatched separately from each other.

(16) Poultry eggs shall be sanitised by fumigation or sprayed or

immersed in an approved egg shell disinfectant before incubation.

(17) Poultry egg handlers, chick sexers and handlers shall wash

their hands with soap and water and change into clean protective

clothing between handling of different lots of eggs and chicks.

(18) Chick sexing tables and equipment shall be cleaned and

disinfected between hatches using approved disinfectants.

(19) Day-old chicks shall be delivered in new cardboard boxes

or plastic boxes which have been cleaned and disinfected.

(20) Delivery vehicles for both eggs and chicks shall be cleaned

and disinfected before each hatch is transported.

(21) All working areas shall be cleaned and disinfected between

each hatch. All other rooms shall be cleansed and disinfected at

least once weekly.

(22) All vaccinating equipment shall be cleaned and disinfected

or sterilised between hatches.

(23) A licensee whose name is registered in the hatcheries

register shall allow the Director or any inspector authorised by the

Director to inspect the premises and view registers or any other

records on demand.

(24) When the Director shall take any samples from a hatchery,

a receipt for such samples shall be given to the licensee. Records of

samples taken and results shall be made available to the licensee.

(25) The following registers shall be kept on the hatchery

(a) an incubator register including dates of incubation, an

identification distinguishing the producer, the eggs

available for hatching and the types and quantity of

eggs;

(b) a cleaning and disinfection register;

(c) a movements and numbers register of eggs (in) and

chicks (out) of the hatchery with dates, origin of eggs,

destination and chicks;

(d) a register of dates of hatching and number of hatched

chicks;

(e) a register of the number of incubated eggs withdrawn

from an incubator and the destination of such eggs.

(26) The packing of chicks shall comply with regulations issued

for imported chicks.

(27) Persons registered in the hatchery register shall submit a

monthly report to the Director with the following information

(a) the number of poultry eggs for hatching placed in

incubators and relative dates;

(b) an identification of the type of poultry to be hatched;

(c) the number of birds hatched and identification thereof

by type as follows

1. female grandparent or parent chicks;

2. female layers;

HATCHERIES

3. cockerels for sexing;

4. broilers;

5. ducks;

6. geese;

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise

requires -

"Director" means the Director responsible for the veterinary

service and includes any officer of the department duly authorised

by the Director to act on his behalf;

"approved disinfectant" means such disinfectant as is approved

by the Director and appearing in the Second Schedule to these

Regulations, or any other disinfectant that the Director may

approve for specific needs;

"licensee" means a person who is licensed in terms of regulation

3 of these Regulations to keep a hatchery for the incubation and

hatching of poultry eggs;

"hatchery" means such premises as are used for the incubation

and hatching of poultry eggs which is licensed for such purpose in

terms of regulation 3 of these Regulations;

"poultry" means fowl, turkeys, geese, ducks, guinea fowls,

domestic and racing pigeons, quails, pheasants and partridges; and

"poultry eggs" means eggs of the above species.

(Regulation 2)

List of Approved Disinfectants

(1) HATCHERY

Chlorine

EQUIPMENT

Iodine

Phenol

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

(2) WATER

Chlorine

DISINFECTANT

Iodine

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

(3) PERSONNEL

Chlorine

Iodine

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

(4) EGG WASHING

Chlorine

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

(5) FLOOR AND

Phenol

FOOT BATHS

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

(6) ROOMS

Iodine

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

(1) No person shall keep any hatchery, whether as owner,

part-owner or helper, unless he holds a licence issued to him by the

Director.

(2) No premises shall be used as a hatchery unless such

premises are licensed by the Director to be used as a hatchery.

(3) The Director may only grant a licence for the keeping of a

hatchery after considering the application therefor, and that any

further requirements he may have requested the applicant to

perform prior to the granting of such licence, have actually been

complied with.

(4) The licensee shall be responsible for the running of the

hatchery according to these Regulations and the Director may at

any time revoke a licence if it is found lacking in any of the

conditions mentioned in the licence, or if in the opinion of the

Director there is a risk of spread of disease.

(5) Licences shall be valid for one calendar year, and may be

renewed from year to year.

(6) No extensions or alterations in any licensed hatchery may

be carried out unless previously authorised by the Director.

The Director shall keep a hatcheries register in which there

shall be kept the following information

(a) the name, address and telephone number of the

licensee;

(b) the address and telephone number of the hatchery;

(c) the site plan and elevation plan of the hatchery;

(d) the name of the manager of the hatchery;

(e) the capacity of each incubator in the hatchery;

(f)

the type and species of poultry to be hatched.

(1) The licensee shall be responsible for all areas of the

premises used in a hatchery, and such premises shall be constructed

and run as specified in the First Schedule.

(2) Any hatchery which was built and put into operation before

the coming into force of these Regulations shall be allowed to

operate by the Director although it does not comply with the

conditions set out in the First Schedule, so however that if such

hatchery ceases to cooperate for a continuous period which is

longer than six months, the licence issued to such hatchery shall be

immediately terminated by the Director and such licence shall not

be renewed

Provided that such hatcheries mentioned in this paragraph

shall be granted in the first licence issued to them a period not

exceeding two years within which the licensees shall upgrade the

standards of their premises according to the standard hatchery

requirements as appearing in items (1) and (3) to (27) shown in the

First Schedule.

guinea fowls;

8. turkeys;

domestic pigeons;

racing pigeons;

11. quails;

12. pheasants;

13. partridges;

14. others.

il-fa[ani (gallina);

13. il-]a[el (perni`i);

o]rajn.

HATCHERIES