Prevention of Disease Amongst Animals Regulations

PREVENTION OF DISEASE AMONGST ANIMALS [S.L.36.20 1 SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 36.20 PREVENTION OF DISEASE AMONGST ANIMALS REGULATIONS 6th October, 1967 LEGAL NOTICE 63 of 1967, as amended by: Legal Notice 52 of 1972; Act XIII of 1983; and Legal Notice 59 of 1998. PART I PRELIMINARY Title.1. The title of these Regulations is Prevention of Disease amongst Animals Regulations. Interpretation. 2. (1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires "department" means the Department of Agriculture; "Director" means the Director of Agriculture and includes any officer of the department duly authorised by him to act on his behalf; "Minister" means the Minister from time to time in charge of the department; "foreign animals’ wharf" means the wharf at Ras }an\ir in the Grand Harbour or such other place as the Minister may from time to time appoint by notice in the Gazette; Cap. 36. "Ordinance" means the Prevention of Disease Ordinance; "observation" means the isolation of animals in the quarantine station; "quarantine station" means the Lazzaretto in the Marsamxett Harbour, the Foreign Animals’ Wharf or such other place as may be appointed by the Minister from time to time by notice in the Gazette. (2) Words and expressions which occur in the Ordinance and which are not otherwise defined in these Regulations shall have the same meaning as is assigned to them by article 2 thereof. PART II FOREIGN ANIMALS Information.3. The master or any other officer of any ship or aircraft arriving in Malta shall answer truly and in writ ing, al l such questions for the purposes of these Regulations as are put to him by the port medical officer, any government veterinary surgeon or any revenue officer. 2 [S.L.36.20 PREVENTION OF DISEASE AMONGST ANIMALS Importation permits. 4. (1) No animals shall be imported into Malta from any country whatsoever without a written permission from the Director having been previously obtained to that effect. (2) The Director may defer consideration of importation appl icat ions , so as to obtain off ic ia l informat ion about the existence or otherwise of disease in the exporting country. Prohibition of and restriction on importation. 5. (1) The importation of animals from any country whatsoever where, in the opinion of the Director, anthrax, cattle plague (rinderpest) , epizootic lymphangit is , foot and mouth disease, glanders and farcy, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, rabies, sheep pox, swine fever, Newcastle disease, or myzomatosis exists shall be prohibited. (2) The importation of swine over three months of age from countries where, to the knowledge of the Director, cysticercosis (cyst cellulosae infestation) trichinellosis exists among swine, shall also be prohibited. (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-regulations (1) and (2) of this regulation, the Director may (a) grant permission for the importation of animals required for breeding purposes, subject to such precautionary measures to prevent the introduction of disease as he may consider necessary, and (b) grant permission for the importation of animals from countries where anthrax is not epidemic, subject to such restrictions as he may impose. (4) When the Director has reason to believe that there is danger of tuberculosis infection being brought into Malta by cattle imported from any country, he may, by notice published in the Gazette (a) prohibit the importation of animals of any specified species, breed and sex from any such country; or (b) require that any animal imported from any specified country be accompanied by a certificate from the country of origin to the effect that such animal has been tested and found free from tuberculosis to the satisfaction of the certifying authority. Certification of animals. 6. Animals imported into Malta shall be accompanied by a certificate from the diplomatic or consular representative of the Government of Malta in the country of origin or by a person serving in a diplomatic, consular or other foreign service of any country which, by arrangement with the Government of Malta, has undertaken to represent that government’s interests in that country, or by a person authorised in that behalf by the Prime Minister, or, in the absence of such persons, from the competent local government authority, in the English, Italian or French language, stating which animal diseases, if any, exist in the country of origin, the exact number and the state of health of the animals shipped and the date of shipment. PREVENTION OF DISEASE AMONGST ANIMALS [S.L.36.20 3 Observation and listing of animals. 7. The Director may subject any foreign animal on arrival to observation and to any necessary process or test to ascertain whether such animal is infected with disease at the expense of its owner. Landing of animals. 8. (1) Healthy foreign animals shall be landed at the Foreign Animals’ Wharf. (2) Infected or suspected foreign animals shall be landed at the quarantine station. (3) Horses, mules and asses imported from countries where, to the knowledge of the Director, disease is prevalent among equines, shall be landed at the quarantine station and shall be kept under observation until the government veterinary surgeon is satisfied that they are not infected with disease. Feeding of animals after landing. 9. The Director may require importers of animals to water and feed the animals imported as soon as he deems it necessary after their landing. Applications.10. (1) Applications for permission to import animals in accordance with the provisions of regulation 4 shall be made on forms supplied by the department and shall be accompanied by such documentary evidence as the Director may require in support of the application. (2) Such provision shall also apply to applications for the extension of permits already granted. Permits.11. (1) Importation permits shall be in duplicate and shall be signed by the Director and countersigned by the person to whom the permit is granted. (2) Importation permits are not transferable. Slaughter of animals. 12. No animals shall be slaughtered during observation: Provided that (a) the Director may permit animals to be slaughtered for urgent reasons, and (b) when for any good and sufficient reason he considers that an animal should be slaughtered, the Director may so direct, whereupon the animal shall be slaughtered by and at the expense of its owner. Access to animals under observation. 13. No person other than persons who are actually engaged in tending the animals or cleaning their pens or places of observation may enter pens or places of observation: Provided that the Director may allow importers of animals which are under observation to have access to their animals during such time as may be fixed by him. Disinfection of persons having access to animals in observation. 14. Every person when leaving a pen or place in which animals are or have been recently kept under observation shall cleanse and disinfect himself in the manner prescribed by the government veterinary surgeon. 4 [S.L.36.20 PREVENTION OF DISEASE AMONGST ANIMALS Fodder and litter, etc. 15. (1) Fodder and litter brought in the same ship with animals shall not be landed. (2) No partly consumed or broken fodder, litter, dung or manure may be removed from the quarantine station unless it has been well mixed with quicklime and the government veterinary surgeon is satisfied that on removal it will be effectually kept away from contact with animals. (3) If in the opinion of the government veterinary surgeon such articles, if taken out of the quarantine station, may be the cause of disease, their owner shall deal with them in accordance with the g o v e r n m e n t v e t e r i n a r y s u r g e o n ’ s i n s t r u c t i o n s a n d t o h i s satisfaction. PART III PREVENTION OF SPREAD OF DISEASE Isolation of infected places. 16. Whenever it appears to a government veterinary surgeon that a disease exists in any stable, field or other place, he shall forthwith order such place to be isolated and may detail one or more health guards for this purpose. Provisions consequential on infection order. 17. On a place being declared infected with disease in accordance with the provisions of article 71 of the Ordinance (i) the place infected with disease shall be kept in isolation; (ii) no person shall leave such place, and no animal or other thing shall be removed therefrom, without the permission of the government veterinary surgeon; (iii) any animal which has been removed from or allowed to go out of such place shall be liable to be removed to the quarantine station; (iv) any person who shall leave such place without the permission of the government veterinary surgeon shall be liable to be forthwith removed to the quarantine station to be disinfected, or, if so ordered by the Minister, shall be kept there under observation for such period as the Director may deem necessary. Observation at quarantine station. 18. Any animal which is affected or suspected of being affected with disease, or which the government veterinary surgeon finds to have been directly or indirectly in contact with diseased or suspected animals, may be removed to the quarantine station and kept there under observation for such period as the Director may deem necessary or until it is otherwise disposed of in accordance with the law: Provided that, in the case of any animal found to have been directly or indirectly in contact with diseased or suspected animals, such animal may be isolated in such other place as the Director may order. PREVENTION OF DISEASE AMONGST ANIMALS [S.L.36.20 5 Burial of certain carcasses. 19. It shall not be lawful to bury the carcass of any animal of the bovine, ovine, caprine or equine species or of any swine, without the permission of the government veterinary surgeon, or to remove, without such permission, any fodder, litter, utensils or other things from any place in which any animal of the species referred to in this regulation had died. Disposal, etc., of carcass. 20. The Director may give such directions as he may deem necessary for the removal, burial or disposal of the carcass of any animal. Cleansing and disinfection. 21. The Director may order the cleansing and disinfection of any infected ship, aircraft, place or area or any part or parts thereof, and the disinfection of any person coming into contact with or employed about diseased or suspected animals. PART IV GENERAL Fees and maintenance charges. Amended by: XIII. 1983.5. 22. (1) The fee for the escort, expense of conveyance to, and maintenance of animals in the quarantine station, shall be at the charge of the owner or of any other person for the time being in charge of such animals. (2) The maintenance charge at the quarantine station shall be from ten cents to thirty-five cents per diem per animal as may be requested by the Director having regard to the size of the animal, which charge shall be payable every fortnight. (3) In default of payment of such charge within four days from the date on which it falls due, it shall be lawful for the Director to cause the animal to be destroyed. Director’s responsibility for animals in quarantine. 23. The Director shall not be responsible for anything that might happen to the animal during its stay in any quarantine station except for causes due to the wilful negligence of the detaining authority.