Diseases of Fish (Control) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 (S.R. No. 53 of 2002).

These Regulations, in addition to making a number of minor and consequential drafting amendments to the 1996 Regulations, implement, in relation to Northern Ireland, amendments to the Directive made by Council Directive 2000/27/EC. The main changes made to the 1996 Regulations are as follows; the whole of Northern Ireland is approved under Council Directive 91/67/EEC and Commission Decision 2001/532/EC; a new regulation 5 provides that where the presence of a disease listed in Part I of Schedule 3 is confirmed on a farm the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is required to issue appropriate directions as to the process and timetable for the carrying out of the control measures required to be taken by the occupier of the farm under the regulation, having regard to the scheme established by it pursuant to Article 6 of the Directive as amended; a new regulation 7 requires control measures to be taken on any farm where there is confirmation of the presence of fish with such a disease. As regards the control measures to be applied, the provision in regulation 7 of the 1996 Regulations for the immediate removal of fish to be required has been deleted and there is now provision for directions to be given as to the process of and timetable for the specified control measures to be carried out. In implementation of a derogation provided for under Article 9(3) of the Directive, these directions can include authorization for the fattening of fish until they reach commercial size and then requiring them to be slaughtered and gutted for marketing or processing for human consumption; a new regulation 10 permits the vaccination of fish against diseases listed in Part I of Schedule 3 where the presence of such a disease has been confirmed at any place in Northern Ireland and where the prior authorization of the Department has been obtained.