asked the Minister for Agriculture when the register of officially burcellosis free herds will be in operation; how it will operate; and the matters in which it will be more stringent than the existing certified herds scheme.
Written Answers. - Brucellosis Free Herd Registration.
379.
The officially brucellosis free (OBF) registration scheme is now open for the receipt of applications. It is being operated through my Department's district veterinary offices.
As I announced on 13 May, interested herdowners, on contacting their local district veterinary office, will be supplied with full details of the conditions attached to registration and an application form. The herds of successful applicants will be required to comply with certain tests and movement controls. This will involve an interval of at least three months between the date of acceptance and entry in the register. Compared with the existing certified herds scheme the more stringent requirements for OBF registration are briefly as follows:
(i) From date of application for registration no animal may be moved into the applicant's herd unless it comes from an OBF registered herd.
(ii) The herd must contain no bovines which were vaccinated against brucellosis within the previous three years.
I have arranged for a copy of an explanatory leaflet on the OBF registration scheme to be forwarded to the Deputy.