Isolation facilities - buildings and fields/pastures

Criteria for approval of an isolation facility with respect to buildings, fields and pastures.

Criteria for approval of isolation facilities

Buildings used for on farm Isolation Facilities must serve no purpose other than the on farm isolation and be physically separate, (in other words a free standing building - solid walls, no shared airspace, water supply or drainage with other animal accommodation) from any buildings used for other livestock. (A beef/lamb finishing house may be suitable for this purpose.)
Please note that it will be possible to use these buildings for other purposes while animals are not being isolated.
Buildings must be escape proof. The keeper should have taken all possible measures to ensure animals cannot escape.
Buildings where animals are held in isolation must have dedicated, securely fixed feeding and water troughs.
Buildings used for on farm Isolation Facilities must be designed such that any discharges, effluent and manure are retained there or disposed of in such a manner that they do not come into contact with other livestock. Manure/Slurry can be disposed of as normal provided all animals in the Isolation Facility have completed their 6 day period of isolation.

Fields used for on farm Isolation Facilities must be dedicated for the on farm isolation and be physically separate from any fields or buildings used for other livestock on the premises. Grass from the isolation field may be used for silage or hay, for example, provided all animals have completed their 6 day period of isolation.
Please note that it will be possible to use these fields for other purposes, such as grazing, while animals are not being isolated.
A minimum distance of 3 metres is required between the perimeter of the isolation field and any other livestock. Alternatively a solid wall (without holes) of at least 7 feet in height which prevents contact between animals. The 3-metre separation requirement would be satisfied with stock proof double fencing or natural barriers such as empty fields or rivers.
Fields where animals are held separately from the rest of the livestock must have separate feeding and water troughs.

Disinfectant footbaths must be provided and used at the entrance(s) to the Isolation Facilities. A Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) approved disinfectant must be used and the footbath should be adequately maintained.