Quarantine lazarets

• Law n°24-89 Enacting veterinary animal health measures for the importation of animals, foodstuffs, products of animal origin, products of animal multiplication and of seafood and fresh water;
• Dahir containing Law  n°1-75-292 of 5 Chaoual 1397 (19 September 1977) enacting measures to guarantee domestic animals against contagious diseases as supplemented and modified;
• Decree  n°2-89-597 25 Rabiaa II 1414 ( 12 October 1993 ), adopted for the purposes of Law No. 24-89, enacting veterinary animal health measures for the importation of animals, foodstuffs and products of animal origin, animal breeding products and seafood and freshwater products.

Quarantine: the period during which the animals are subjected to a more or less long observation allowing the detection of communicable diseases and to accurately assess the general health status of the animals;

A quarantine station (lazaret barn): a facility under the control of the veterinary authority in which animals are kept in isolation, without direct or indirect contact with other animals, to prevent the transmission of one or more specific pathogens while animals are observed for a specified period of time and, if necessary, undergo diagnostic testing or treatment;

Crawlspace: the period between the stay of two consecutive consignments of imported cattle, commencing the day after the completion of cleaning and disinfection of empty premises and equipment;

Disinfection: means, after complete cleaning, the implementation of procedures to destroy infectious or parasitic agents responsible for animal diseases, including zoonoses. It applies to premises, equipment, vehicles or other objects that may have been contaminated directly or indirectly

Imported Livestock Lot: Livestock lot means one or more shipments of cattle from the same or different countries with arrival dates less than a week apart from the date of the first shipment and within the capacity of the lazaret barn.

1. DOSSIER ADMINISTRATIF ET MEDICAL:

In accordance with the current Code of Procedure for the Importation of Cattle, the registration file must be filed with the ONSSA at least 30 days before the expected date of livestock arrival. The file consists of the following documents:

• The application for approval in accordance with model 1;
• Health supervision contract  (according to model 2) between the operator and a veterinarian duly authorized to practise in private medicine, surgery and veterinary pharmacy and with a health warrant ;
• Copy of the certificate of legal ownership or lease contract in case of rental;
• Detailed plan of lazaret barn, specifying the exact areas of the premises and a mass plan specifying the geographical location of the farm;
• Medical record of the personnel to be hired justifying his state of health.

      2. TECHNICAL AND SANITARY CONDITIONS 

The design and location of the quarantine station (lazaret barn) must ensure strict separation and isolation of quarantined animals from other animals and foreign personnel.

The lazaret barn must be isolated from other neighbouring operations (minimum distance between barns of 400 m), easily accessible throughout the year and must meet the following standards:

      a.Closure

The fence must be designed to ensure total isolation of quarantined cattle and to prevent the entry of any foreign or other animals. It must also have a minimum height of 1.70 m).

     b. Main portal

The lazaret barn must have a single main entrance with a door that does not allow the entry of foreign animals with the presence of a rotoluve allowing the disinfection of the wheels of vehicles having access to the lazaret barn. The latter must have at least one and a half turns of the truck wheel and a depth of the wheel radius.

    c. Main buildings and annexes:

The main buildings:

Cattle barn for the quarantine period.

Annexes :

The lazaret barn must have at least the following premises:

• A room for isolation of sick animals. This room must be separated from the other rooms;
• A room for newborns (individual boxes) with a minimum of 10 box per cent imported head;
• A calving room;
• A storage room for food.

Principal buildings and outbuildings shall meet the following standards:

• be constructed with strong, rot-proof material for cleaning and disinfection;
  well ventilated;
• having a concrete floor at the air level accessible to the feeders and the housing air can be concrete or clay facilitating the disinfection of the litter;
• having an entrance door;
• having a well-designed roof;
• With sufficient feeders and troughs with 80 cm/head of cattle access to the trough;
• Provide a sewage disposal system;
• having a fastening system (in case of obstructed housing);
• With a footbath at the entrance of each building;
• having screened-in windows or ventilation openings that prevent animals (rats, birds and insects, etc.) from entering the barn;
• having a paddock or exercise area;
• Provide a lighting system;
• With a manure disposal system.

Other installations

• Cattle restraint work: A restraint work must be installed to allow the necessary health investigations (blood sampling, vaccination, etc.);
• Drinking water: buildings must be provided with clean water suitable for the consumption of animals in quarantine and for any cleaning and disinfection operation;
•  Corpse pit or incinerator: The lazaret barn must have an incinerator or, if not, a fenced pit for burial of corpses at least 2 metres deep.

Interview and coaching

• Maintenance: The lazaret barn intended to house animals imported for quarantine must be clean and well maintained. An effective rodent control program must be in place and implemented. Footbaths and rotoluve must contain an authorized disinfectant fluid.
• Lazaret Barn Access Control: Access must be limited and controlled after quarantine animals enter the lazaret barn. Only authorized personnel may be present. Personnel who have been authorized access to the lazaret barn must not be in contact with other animals or barns;
•  Presence of animals: the lazaret barn must be empty upon receipt of imported cattle. If guard dogs are present, they must be vaccinated against rabies (vaccination diaries specifying vaccination dates are mandatory);
• Personnel: the personnel to be hired must be fit and in good health. A medical record justifying the state of health of the personnel to be hired must be submitted with each application for accreditation. Personnel must have clean coveralls and rubber boots;
• Equipment to be used: must be clean and disinfected and not exchanged with other barns.

3. INSPECTION OF LAZARET AGREEES

The approved lazaret barn may be the subject of unannounced visits by a control committee designated for this purpose, in order to verify compliance with the conditions required for granting the authorization and the undertakings given by the importer.

The Committee is also responsible for the following checks: 

• The destination of imported cattle quarantined at the level of the approved barns,
• The status of the register of movements of imported animals concerning the operations carried out (entries, exits, sanitary anomalies, etc.).

If the importer does not comply with the above conditions, the approval granted will be suspended or withdrawn.

The use of approved premises for the reception and quarantine of other consignments of livestock shall be subject to the submission of the veterinary veterinary veterinary clearance issued by the veterinary veterinarian and countersigned by the head of the veterinary service of the area.