Risk-Based Permitting

During an outbreak many times the required activities create a competition for resources. Following a risk based permitting process has the potential to relieve some of those constraints while maintaining confidence of permitted movement not spreading disease.

By evaluating the risk related to the movement of specific products or animals we can have an idea of where resources should be placed/focused.

Some products moved from a monitored premises have a negligible or low risk of spreading HPAI virus in an outbreak. Following a risk-based process, these movements still need to be tracked and the SPS guidance recommendations should be followed but since the movements have a negligible or low risk, the permit criteria that need to be fulfilled are limited. For these low and negligible risk movements, products can be permitted for multiple movements off a premises over a period of time as long as the permit conditions don’t change. Each shipment needs to be tracked, the monitored premises and guidance criteria still need to be met for each movement, and the testing is ongoing, but the permitting process itself doesn’t need to be redone. For products that present a low or negligible risk of spreading HPAI, this approach can be an efficient way to use limited state resources.

In contrast, a separate permit would be required for each movement of moderate and high risk products. Direct oversight of the movement each time it occurs is important in assuring an outbreak does not spread as a result of moving moderate and high risk products.

Using this approach of risk-based permitting, state resources can be focused on the movements that have the highest risk while using industry resources can be used to track lower risk movements.

Monitored Premises

Monitored Premises status is the underlying foundation of the Secure Poultry Supply Plan. The risk assessments and the pathway mitigations in the SBS, SES and STS have been built around the assumption of a premises that is infected but undetected. That means that there is such a low prevalence of infection in the flock, that it would not be detected despite surveillance testing. Mitigations used would likely prevent the spread of infection in this type of low level infection. In comparison, a premises that is detected will have much more virus and thus, the same pathway mitigations are likely to be ineffective in preventing spread. The Monitored Premises status is how we know that the premises has no or a very low level of infection.

Permit Conditions

The conditions of a permit are the what and why of a movement that are described in the permit and the assurances upon which the permit has been issued. They include the movement’s origin and destination, its type and class, and reason for the movement. Permit conditions also include the assumptions of the permit, such as premises status and the whether or not the destination is in a control zone as well as the assurance of a responsible party.