Circular No. 07/2016/TT-BNNPTNT on prevention and control of animal diseases

CIRCULAR

Regulations on Prevention and Control of Animal Diseases on Land

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BASED ON THE LAW ON VETERINARY MEDICINE OF JUNE 19, 2015;

BASED ON THE DECREE NO. 199/2013/NĐ-CP OF NOVEMBER 26, 2013 OF THE GOVERNMENT PROVIDING FOR THE FUNCTIONS, TASKS, POWERS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT;

1. The List of veterinary drugs permitted for circulation in Vietnam (Annex I).

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular to provide detailed regulations on certain provisions of the Law on Veterinary Medicine regarding prevention and control of animal diseases on land, including:

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. The list of animal diseases that must be declared as epidemics, the list of zoonotic diseases, and the list of animal diseases prohibited from being slaughtered or treated;

a) The list of animal diseases that must be declared as epidemics, the list of zoonotic diseases, and the list of animal diseases prohibited from being slaughtered or treated;

b) Provisions on mandatory preventive measures; requirements for veterinary hygiene and environmental sanitation in livestock farming; conditions for animals and animal products to be transported out of epidemic areas;

c) Provisions on the use of veterinary drugs not yet circulating in Vietnam in emergency situations to promptly prevent and control animal diseases;

d) Reporting, diagnosing, and investigating animal diseases;

e) Compulsory handling of diseased animals showing signs of disease and animal products carrying pathogens listed in the list of animal diseases that must be declared as epidemics, the list of zoonotic diseases, or newly discovered infectious agents;

f) Conditions for declaring the end of an animal disease epidemic.

This Circular applies to organizations and individuals within the country and foreign organizations and individuals related to activities of preventing and controlling animal diseases on land within the territory of Vietnam.

1. The list of animal diseases on land that must be declared as epidemics is specified in Item 1 of Appendix 01 attached hereto.

2. The list of zoonotic diseases is specified in Item 2 of Appendix 01 attached hereto.

3. The list of animal diseases prohibited from being slaughtered or treated is specified in Item 3 of Appendix 01 attached hereto.

Chapter II

REGULATIONS ON PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF ANIMAL DISEASES ON LAND

Article 3. Mandatory preventive measures for animals on land

1. Mandatory preventive measures for animals on land include:

a) Regularly implementing cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization according to the guidelines set forth in Appendix 08 attached hereto;

b) Mandatory vaccination for animals against certain dangerous infectious diseases as specified in Item 1 of Appendix 07 attached hereto;

Based on the epidemiological characteristics, circulation of dangerous infectious agents among animals in the locality, and guidance on vaccinating against specific diseases in Appendices 09, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 21, and 22 attached hereto, the local specialized veterinary management agency shall submit to the competent authority for a decision on mandatory vaccination for specific animal diseases as specified in Item 1.1 of Appendix 07, in accordance with local conditions, and issue a Vaccination Certificate according to the model specified in Item 3 of Appendix 07.

2. Livestock breeding facilities, poultry breeding facilities, and dairy cattle farms, in addition to complying with the provisions of Clause 1 of this Article, must also regularly monitor certain zoonotic diseases as specified in Item 2 of Appendix 07 attached hereto. Based on the animal diseases specified in Item 2.1 of Appendix 07 and Appendix 02 attached hereto, regular monitoring shall be conducted as follows:

a) The local specialized veterinary management agency shall organize regular disease surveillance for livestock breeding facilities, poultry breeding facilities, and dairy cattle farms under its management;

b) The General Department of Animal Health shall organize regular disease surveillance for livestock breeding facilities, poultry breeding facilities, and dairy cattle farms with foreign investment or managed centrally.

Article 4. Sanitary veterinary and environmental hygiene requirements for concentrated livestock farms

1. Concentrated animal husbandry facilities must comply with sanitary veterinary and environmental hygiene requirements during livestock farming as prescribed by law to prevent diseases in animals.

2. Concentrated animal husbandry facilities that ensure sanitary veterinary and environmental hygiene requirements and have samples taken and tested by specialized veterinary management agencies, if the results are negative for the disease specified in Point 1 of Appendix 07 issued together with this Circular, shall not be required to implement compulsory vaccination for such disease.

Article 5. Conditions for animals and animal products to be transported out of epidemic areas

1. Livestock farms recognized as being free from disease or participating in disease surveillance programs, if they need to transport animals sensitive to announced diseases and their products out of epidemic areas, must meet the following conditions:

a) Samples must be taken and tested by local specialized veterinary management agencies, and the test results must be negative for the pathogen causing the announced disease;

b) Transportation must be carried out using means of transport that meet the requirements set forth in National Technical Regulation QCVN 01 - 100: 2012/BNNPTNT: General Requirements for Veterinary Hygiene Equipment, Tools, and Means of Transporting Live Animals and Freshly Processed Animal Products;

c) The means of transporting animals and containers holding animal products must be sealed and lead-sealed according to the guidance of local specialized veterinary management agencies.

2. Provincial specialized veterinary management agencies organize the implementation of sampling and testing; cleaning and disinfection of transportation means for animals and animal products as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article and guide the transportation route out of epidemic areas.

3. The quarantine inspection of animals and animal products as stipulated in this Article must comply with the regulations on documentation, procedures, and quarantine formalities as prescribed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article 6. Regulations on the use of unregistered veterinary drugs in emergency situations to prevent and control terrestrial animal diseases

1. In cases where there are epidemics of diseases listed in Article 2 of this Circular or new infectious diseases for which suitable veterinary drugs are not available domestically, the Department of Animal Health shall submit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for a decision on the use of unregistered veterinary drugs in Vietnam to urgently prevent and control such diseases.

2. The importation of veterinary drugs as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article must comply with the regulations on documentation, procedures, and formalities for importation as prescribed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

3. The use of veterinary drugs as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article for urgent prevention and control of animal diseases must follow the manufacturer's instructions or the prescription of specialized veterinary management agencies.

Article 7. Reporting and reporting of animal diseases

1. Organizations and individuals who discover diseased animals, dead animals, signs of infectious diseases, or abnormal deaths of animals without clear causes must immediately report the animal disease to veterinary staff at the commune level, the People's Committee (PC) at the commune level, or the nearest specialized veterinary management agency in accordance with Clause 1 of Article 19 of the Law on Animal Health, including the following information:

a) The organization or individual making the report;

b) The location and time of discovery of the animal disease;

c) Type of animal;

d) Number of animals;

đ) Description of disease symptoms.

2. Disease reporting is carried out as follows:

a) At the commune level: Commune-level veterinary staff are responsible for reporting animal diseases to the Chairman of the PC at the commune level and the specialized veterinary management agency at the district level;

b) At the district level: The specialized veterinary management agency at the district level is responsible for reporting animal diseases to the PC at the district level and the specialized veterinary management agency at the provincial level;

c) At the provincial level: The specialized veterinary management agency at the provincial level is responsible for reporting animal diseases to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Regional Animal Health Agency, and the Department of Animal Health;

d) At the central level: The Department of Animal Health is responsible for reporting animal diseases to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and international organizations of which Vietnam is a member or other countries to which Vietnam has committed to report and share animal disease information;

đ) In cases of dangerous infectious diseases that can spread rapidly over a wide area, organizations and individuals specified in points a, b, and c of this clause may report directly to higher-level authorities and specialized veterinary management agencies;

e) When zoonotic diseases appear, commune-level veterinary staff and specialized veterinary management agencies must also report animal diseases to relevant health agencies at the same level in accordance with current regulations;

g) The verification, collection of information, and reporting of animal diseases as stipulated in points a, b, c, d, đ, and e of this clause must be completed within 24 hours in plains and midlands and within 72 hours in remote, border, and island areas from the time of receiving reports of animal diseases from related individuals and organizations.

3. In cases where suspected diseases listed in Article 2 of this Circular appear, commune-level veterinary staff and specialized veterinary management agencies must immediately report the disease outbreak, including the following contents:

a) Regarding the location where animals are sick, dead, or showing signs of illness: Name of the pet owner or location where the animals were found (specific address down to village, ward, or house number); number of organizations, individuals, households with sick animals; number of villages, wards, or villages with sick animals;

b) Time when animals first showed clinical symptoms or died; daily development of the disease situation;

c) Information related to diseased animals, dead animals, or those showing signs of disease: Type of animal; origin of the animal; total number of infected animals; quantity of each type of diseased, dead, or destroyed animals; symptoms and lesions of diseased animals; types of drugs, vaccines, biological products used and the time of use; number of animals treated, vaccinated, and recovered from the disease.

d) Pathogen causing the disease (if known), suspected or confirmed source of infection, results of passive and active surveillance programs for the disease (if available).

đ) Assessment of the situation, measures already implemented, proposed measures, recommendations.

4. Updated report on animal disease outbreak

a) The updated report on the outbreak shall be applied in cases where the animal disease outbreak specified in Article 2 of this Circular has been confirmed by the specialized veterinary management agency.

b) The updated report on the outbreak shall be submitted by village-level veterinary staff and the specialized veterinary management agency before 16:00 every day until the end of the outbreak period, including holidays and weekends.

c) The format for the updated outbreak report shall comply with the provisions set out in Section 1 of Appendix 03 issued together with this Circular.

5. Report on investigation of animal disease outbreak

a) The investigation report on the outbreak shall be applied in cases where the animal disease outbreak specified in Article 2 of this Circular has been confirmed by the specialized veterinary management agency.

b) The investigation report on the outbreak shall be conducted by the specialized veterinary management agency within seven days from the date the outbreak was confirmed by the specialized veterinary management agency.

c) The content of the investigation report on the outbreak shall be carried out in accordance with Clause 2 of Article 9 of this Circular.

6. Report on termination of animal disease outbreak shall be conducted by the local specialized veterinary management agency within seven days from the date the outbreak ends as stipulated by law.

7. Periodic report on animal disease

a) The monthly report shall be conducted by the specialized veterinary management agency in the form of a written report and via email, including information about animal diseases from the first day to the last day of the month.

b) Quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports shall be compiled by the specialized veterinary management agency to provide information about animal diseases during the reporting period.

c) The periodic report shall be conducted in the first week of the subsequent reporting period.

d) The content of the periodic report shall be carried out according to the format specified in Section 2 of Appendix 03 of this Circular.

8. The specialized veterinary management agency must organize the storage and secure information on animal diseases under its jurisdiction in writing and through computer databases in accordance with current regulations.

Article 8. Diagnosis of Animal Diseases

1. Organizations and individuals taking samples for testing must comply with Vietnam National Technical Regulation QCVN 01 - 83: 2011/BNNPTNT issued pursuant to Circular No. 71/2011/TT-BNNPTNT dated October 25, 2011 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

2. Sample specimens must ensure quality for testing, identifying pathogens, and must be accompanied by a sample submission form for testing sent to a laboratory recognized by the competent authority. The sample submission form for testing is prescribed in Appendix 04 issued together with this Circular.

3. Organizations and individuals conducting diagnosis and testing of animal diseases must follow national technical standards and national standards regarding diagnostic procedures for animal diseases, ensuring compliance with the Law on Veterinary Medicine, the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, and the Law on Environmental Protection.

4. Laboratories must immediately conduct diagnosis and testing of sample specimens upon receipt and provide test results according to the Test Result Notification Form prescribed in Appendix 04 issued together with this Circular. In cases where diagnosis and testing have not been conducted or the disease has not been identified, the laboratory must notify the organization or individual submitting the sample specimens in writing and specify the reasons.

5. Laboratories are responsible for promptly reporting test results to the competent specialized veterinary management agency.

6. The Department of Animal Health shall guide sampling, diagnosis, and testing in cases where new infectious pathogens appear.

Article 9. Investigation of Disease Outbreaks

1. Principles for Investigating Disease Outbreaks

a) Disease outbreak investigations shall be conducted for suspected disease outbreaks as defined in Article 2 of this Circular and must be carried out within 24 hours in plains areas or 72 hours in remote areas from the time information about the outbreak is received;

b) Prior to conducting the investigation at the outbreak site, sufficient information on livestock conditions and animal diseases must be collected; necessary materials, tools, equipment, chemicals for the investigation must be prepared; sampling tools, sample preservation and transportation equipment, personal protective equipment; current regulations on disease prevention and control; necessary resources and finances; forms and tools for collecting information;

c) Information about the outbreak must be collected in detail, comprehensively, accurately, and promptly.

2. Contents of Disease Outbreak Investigations

a) Collect initial information before and during the outbreak period, determine basic epidemiological characteristics and the existence of the outbreak; trace the origin of the outbreak;

b) Update information on the outbreak, including: checking and comparing with previously reported information; clinical examination, number, species, age, date of discovery of diseased animals, identification of the first case; number of diseased animals; veterinary drugs, vaccines, chemicals used; identify related risk factors;

c) Describe the progression of the outbreak over time, location, diseased animals, signs of disease; assess the cause of the outbreak;

d) Propose conducting research on risk factors;

đ) Summarize, analyze, evaluate, and make a definitive diagnosis of the outbreak, identify the disease, mode of transmission;

e) Report the results of the outbreak investigation, assess and forecast the disease situation in the subsequent period, propose preventive and control measures.

3. Responsibilities for Investigating Disease Outbreaks

a) The specialized animal health management agency at the district level, upon receiving notification of diseased, dead, or infected animals, shall be responsible for investigating the animal disease outbreak;

b) The specialized animal health management agency at the provincial level shall be responsible for directing, advising, and supporting the district-level specialized animal health management agency in their investigation;

c) People's Committees at all levels shall be responsible for directing local functional agencies to support the specialized animal health management agency in conducting outbreak investigations within their jurisdiction;

d) For complex animal disease outbreaks with new epidemiological factors, the provincial specialized animal health management agency shall request support from the Regional Animal Health Office and the General Department of Animal Health in the local outbreak investigation.

Article 10. Compulsory Handling of Diseased Animals and Infected Animal Products

a) Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (applicable to highly pathogenic strains or virus strains capable of transmitting the disease to humans) as stipulated in Appendix 9;

b) Foot-and-Mouth Disease as stipulated in Appendix 10;

c) Swine Vesicular Disease as stipulated in Appendix 11;

d) Anthrax as stipulated in Appendix 12;

đ) African Swine Fever as stipulated in Appendix 13;

e) Brucellosis as stipulated in Appendix 14;

g) Rabies in Animals as stipulated in Appendix 15;

h) Newcastle Disease as stipulated in Appendix 16;

i) Porcine Erysipelas (Type 2) as stipulated in Appendix 17;

k) Fascioliasis as stipulated in Appendix 18;

l) Bovine Tuberculosis as stipulated in Appendix 19;

m) Infectious Abortion as stipulated in Appendix 20.

2. For animals and animal products carrying new infectious agents, the General Department of Animal Health shall submit to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for decision on compulsory handling measures.

3. Technical measures for the destruction and slaughter of diseased animals showing signs of disease, and the destruction of infected animal products are implemented according to the provisions in Appendix 6 and the guidelines in Appendices 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22 issued with this Circular.

Article 11. Conditions for declaring the end of animal disease outbreaks

The declaration of the end of an animal disease outbreak includes the following conditions:

1. Within twenty-one days from the date of death, destruction, compulsory slaughter, or recovery without recurrence of the last diseased animal, there must be no new cases of animals contracting the disease or dying from it during this period.

2. Vaccination to prevent the disease has been carried out for susceptible animals in the affected area at a rate of over ninety percent of the animals in the vaccination zone and over eighty percent in the threatened zone, or other compulsory preventive measures have been applied to susceptible animals in the affected and threatened zones, in accordance with the guidance of the specialized veterinary management agency.

3. Comprehensive cleaning, disinfection, and decontamination have been conducted in the affected and threatened zones within the time frame specified in Clause 1 of this Article, in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Item 5 of Appendix 08 attached hereto, ensuring compliance with veterinary hygiene requirements.

4. There must be a request for declaration of the end of the animal disease outbreak from the local specialized veterinary management agency and an approval document for the declaration of the end of the outbreak attached to the report on the assessment of the conditions for declaring the end of the outbreak by the higher-level specialized veterinary management agency.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 12. Responsibilities of the Animal Health Department

1. Guide, inspect, and supervise the implementation of the provisions of this Circular and related regulations concerning the prevention and control of terrestrial animal diseases.

2. Review and propose the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to include new dangerous animal diseases in the list prescribed in Article 2 of this Circular when such diseases appear.

3. Submit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for decision on the importation and use of veterinary drugs not yet circulating in Vietnam and provide detailed guidance on their use for emergency disease control.

4. Provide detailed guidance on the use of reporting forms for terrestrial animal diseases.

5. Provide technical measures for preventing and controlling newly emerging infectious diseases in terrestrial animals; provide specific guidance on regular disease surveillance.

6. Organize training for organizations and individuals involved in implementing preventive and control measures against terrestrial animal diseases.

7. Coordinate with relevant organizations and individuals to research, review, and propose amendments and supplements to the provisions of this Circular as appropriate.

8. Organize information dissemination and propaganda to relevant organizations and individuals regarding regulations on the prevention and control of terrestrial animal diseases.

Article 13. Responsibilities of Local Specialized Veterinary Management Agencies

1. Implement based on the provisions of this Circular and guidance from the Animal Health Department, while guiding, inspecting, and supervising relevant organizations and individuals in the locality to implement these regulations.

2. Develop a proactive plan for preventing and controlling diseases among livestock in the locality according to Appendix 05 attached hereto, submit it to the competent authority for approval, and organize its implementation.

3. Organize training for organizations and individuals in the locality to implement preventive and control measures against terrestrial animal diseases.

4. Organize information dissemination and propaganda to organizations and individuals in the locality regarding regulations on the prevention and control of terrestrial animal diseases.

Article 14. Responsibilities of Related Organizations and Individuals

Organizations and individuals involved in veterinary activities shall implement preventive and control measures for animal diseases in accordance with the provisions of this Circular and the appendices attached hereto.

Comply with regulations on the prevention and control of terrestrial animal diseases as stipulated in this Circular, related laws on veterinary medicine, environmental protection, infectious disease prevention, and guidance from specialized veterinary management agencies to ensure the safety of animal husbandry in the locality and food safety.

Comply with inspections and guidance from specialized veterinary management agencies and competent state authorities.

Article 15. Effective Date

This Circular takes effect from July 15, 2016.

2. THIS CIRCULAR REPLACES THE FOLLOWING LEGAL DOCUMENTS:

a) Decision No. 63/2005/QD-BNN dated October 13, 2005, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the issuance of regulations on mandatory vaccination for livestock and poultry;

b) Decision No. 64/2005/QD-BNN dated October 13, 2005, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the issuance of the list of diseases that must be declared, dangerous animal diseases, and diseases requiring compulsory preventive measures;

c) Circular No. 69/2005/TT-BNN dated November 7, 2005, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on guidance on urgent measures to prevent and control avian influenza (H5N1) in poultry;

d) Decision No. 38/2006/QD-BNN dated May 16, 2006, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the issuance of regulations on the prevention and control of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock;

đ) Decision No. 67/2006/QD-BNN dated September 12, 2006, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development amending Decision No. 38/2006/QD-BNN dated May 16, 2006, on the issuance of regulations on the prevention and control of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock;

e) Decision No. 05/2007/QD-BNN dated January 22, 2007, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development amending Decision No. 38/2006/QD-BNN dated May 16, 2006, on the issuance of regulations on the prevention and control of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock;

g) Decision No. 1037/QD-BNN-TY dated April 13, 2007, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development supplementing Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) to the list of diseases that must be declared;

h) Decision No. 80/2008/QD-BNN dated July 15, 2008, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the issuance of regulations on the prevention and control of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS);

i) Circular No. 48/2009/TT-BNNPTNT dated August 4, 2009, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on guidance on measures to prevent and control rabies in animals;

k) Circular No. 04/2011/TT-BNNPTNT dated January 24, 2011, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on guidance on measures to prevent and control swine fever;

l) Circular No. 05/2011/TT-BNNPTNT dated January 24, 2011, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on guidance on measures to prevent and control Newcastle disease in poultry;

m) Circular No. 53/2013/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 12, 2013 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the Regulations on Reporting Animal Diseases on Land;

n) Circular No. 44/2014/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 1, 2014 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the Regulations on Diseases to be Regularly Inspected for Livestock Breeding Farms, Poultry Breeding Farms, and Dairy Cows;

Article 16. Responsibility for Implementation

1. Heads of units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Heads of agencies, organizations, and individuals related within the scope of their assigned tasks and authorities shall be responsible for organizing and implementing the provisions of this Circular;

2. In the course of implementation, if there are any difficulties or need for amendments or supplements, it is requested that agencies, organizations, and individuals promptly reflect these issues to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration and resolution./.