The Animal Diseases (Hatcheries) Rules

Legal Notice 47 of 1985

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Citation
Legal Notice 47 of 1985
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Animal Diseases Act
Date
31 December 2022
Language
English
Type
Legal Notice
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LAWS OF KENYA

ANIMAL DISEASES ACT

THE ANIMAL DISEASES (HATCHERIES) RULES

LEGAL NOTICE 47 OF 1985

  • Published in Kenya Gazette Vol. LXXXVII—No. 9 on 1 March 1985
  • Commenced on 1 March 1985
  1. [Revised by 24th Annual Supplement (Legal Notice 221 of 2023) on 31 December 2022]

1. Citation

These Rules may be cited as the Animal Diseases (Hatcheries) Rules.

2. Interpretation

In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires—"avian tuberculosis" means the poultry disease caused by Mycobacterium avian;"baby chicks" includes all newly hatched poultry which are less than three days old;"epidemic tremor" means the poultry disease caused by avian encephalomyelitis virus;"flock" means a collection of poultry of the same breed, cross or variety, capable of interbreeding;"fowl pest" means the poultry disease caused by Newcastle disease virus;"fowl typhoid" means the poultry disease caused by Salmonella gallinarum;"hatchery" includes any equipment operated or controlled for the production of baby chicks;"inspecting officer" means an inspector or a veterinary officer;"poultry" includes chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, guinea fowls, pigeons, quails, pea fowl, pheasants, parrots, ostrich, game birds, and other domestic fowl which are bred for the primary purpose of production of eggs and meat;"pullorum disease" means the disease of poultry caused by Salmonella pullorum.

3. Hatcheries to be licensed

A person shall not operate a hatchery for the sale of baby chicks to farmers without a licence.

4. Application for a licence

(1)A person who intends to operate a hatchery for the production of baby chicks for sale to farmers shall apply for a licence to the nearest inspecting officer in the approved form.
(2)An inspecting officer, on receipt of an application, shall inspect the premises intended to be used as a hatchery and shall forward a report thereon to the Director.
(3)On receipt of the report of the inspecting officer, the Director may issue a licence in the form set out in the Schedule to the applicant on payment of a fee.
(4)Where an inspecting officer believes that the applicant should not be granted a licence, he shall first inform the applicant in writing of the reasons thereof and the inspecting officer shall allow the applicant two months from the date of receipt thereof to remedy any defects in the premises or equipment before he forwards a report to the Director.

5. Hatchery licence

(1)A hatchery licence shall expire on the 30th June in each year, but may be renewed.
(2)The fees for a licence for the first year or part of a year and for each annual renewal shall be one hundred shillings.
(3)An application for renewal shall be made to the Director in the approved form before the 30th April in each year accompanied by the renewal fee.

6. Hatchery premises and equipment to be sanitary and fit for the purpose

(1)A hatchery shall be situated away from residential and commercial premises and shall be constructed to prevent the escape of the flock and the entry of unauthorized personnel.
(2)The equipment, poultry houses, brooder rooms and incubators at the premises of a hatchery, and the land shall be kept in a clean sanitary condition.

7. Maintenance and cleaning of brooder rooms and incubators

(1)The walls, floors and trays of incubators shall be kept clean and sanitary, free from broken eggs, eggshells and droppings.
(2)Hatching trays shall be cleaned, disinfected and fumigated after each batch.

8. Breeding flock, etc.

(1)A breeding flock shall consist of healthy, normal individuals and shall be characteristic of the breed, variety, cross or other combination which it is stated to represent.
(2)The breeding flock, eggs and equipment connected therewith shall be kept separate from any other flock and other animals.
(3)The breeding flock shall, so far as it is possible so to do, be kept vaccinated against notifiable diseases to which it is liable; and the breeding flock between eighteen and twenty- two weeks old shall be tested by an inspecting officer for pullorum disease and fowl typhoid.
(4)Incubated eggs shall be sound in shell, typical for their breed, variety, strain or cross and reasonably uniform in shape and hatching eggs shall be placed in tray.
(5)Baby chicks shall be boxed in new boxes.
(6)A licensee shall immediately report in writing to an inspecting officer all cases of sickness, unusual mortality or significant drop in egg production.

9. Hatchery personnel

The licensee shall ensure that all personnel who come into contact with the breeding flock and the hatchery shall take sanitary precautions, including the disinfection of footwear and change of clothing, to prevent the transmission of infection.

10. Inspection

An inspecting officer shall inspect the breeding flock, the equipment and premises of a hatchery regularly, and the inspection shall be carried out not less than six times in a year.

11. Breeding and sale from infected hatchery

(1)A person shall not, for the purpose of sale, breed poultry unless the breeding flock has passed a blood test for pullorum disease.
(2)A person shall not sell, expose or offer for sale any poultry, baby chicks or eggs from a hatchery which is infected with a notifiable disease affecting poultry.

12. Licensee to keep records

A licensee shall keep written records of—
(a)movements of hatching eggs, baby chicks and birds to and from the hatchery;
(b)names and addresses of consignors and consignees;
(c)the fertility, hatching rate and culls for each hatch of eggs set; and
(d)treatment, tests and results of post-mortems carried out.

13. Power of inspecting officer

An inspecting officer may, with the written authority of the Director, cause poultry, baby chicks or eggs, which he suspects to be infected with a notifiable disease affecting poultry, to be destroyed and the hatchery from which they come to be cleaned, disinfected and fumigated.

14. Offences and penalty

A person who contravenes a provision of these Rules shall be guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding five thousand shillings, or to both.

SCHEDULE [r. 4(3)]

LICENCE TO OPERATE A HATCHERY

Name ...........................................................Address ......................................................Premises L.R. No. ........................................You are licensed to operate a hatchery at the above mentioned premises from ................., 20 .......... to 30th June, 20 .........Application for renewal shall be made to the Director not later than 30th April, 20 .............Dated the ................., 20 .............
  .................................................
  Director of Veterinary Services.
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History of this document

31 December 2022 this version
01 March 1985
Commenced