August 14, 2008
An EU Council Directive has been adopted which provides for tighter standards for pig identification and registration.
The new directive, which builds on existing veterinary legislation, requires member states to ensure tight control over records of pig numbers and animal movements.
Member states are required to keep up-to-date lists of all the holdings where pigs are reared, as well as specifying the keepers. They are also to ensure that all pig operations on the list maintain a register detailing the number of animals present on the holding.
The register should also include an up-to-date record of movements, stating the origin or destination of pigs at the holding, and the date of such movements.
Keepers are also required to supply "all information concerning the origin, identification and, where appropriate, the destination of animals which he has owned, kept, transported, marketed or slaughtered".
The new directive also includes provisions to ensure all pigs are marked and accounted for: the register must include the marks on the animal which identify the individual holding, until three consecutive years have elapsed with no animals on the holding.
The directive also states that identification marks must be applied before animals leave the holding of birth, with an eartag or tattoo marking the place of origin.
This also applies to any animal imported from a third country, which need to be marked within 30 days of veterinary checks -- before being transported away from the first holding.
Exceptions are permitted only for pigs being transported directly to a slaughterhouse within the member state territory, for slaughter within 30 days.
The new directive will operate in tandem with more detailed rules established for disease eradication and control purposes.
Existing animal health requirements ensure that a veterinary health certificate is provided before any pig movement, with additional certification required if the destination is an assembly centre or market.
