Previously as a European Union (EU) Member State, we were able to operate a keeper self-declaration system for Controlled Housing Conditions (CHC) for pigs. This meant that these animals were exempt from trichinella testing. However, this is no longer an option as Official Vets (OVs) are required to sign an export health certificate (EHC) and part of this includes them signing off that pigs or pig meat comes from CHC compliant holdings. Given the assurance required to allow an OV to sign an EHC it is no longer possible to rely on system of self-declaration.
To this end Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and other standards organisations have reviewed their standards for the pig assurance schemes to ensure they comply with the requirements of the EU legislation for CHC for pigs.
From Friday 29 March 2024 the current self-declaration list on ScotEID will no longer be available. As of Saturday 30 March you will need to be a member of an assurance scheme such as QMS and your vet will need to submit a quarterly vet declaration (QVD) to confirm your compliance to be able to tick the CHC box on ScotEID. If you are not a member of an assurance scheme your pigs will require to be tested for trichinella.
For keepers who decide not to become a member of an assurance scheme there will still be a requirement for the vet to submit the quarterly report on ‘Pig Premises Separation from Cloven Hoofed Animals’ which is also a EHC requirement.