Improvement of Agricultural (Livestock) Dairy Cows Regulations, 1957

IMPROVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION (LIVESTOCK) DAIRY COWS REGULATIONS, 19571 By the power vested in me under Section 3 of the Improvement of Agricultural Production Law (Livestock), 1952, I hereby enact the following Regulations: Chapter One: General Provisions 1. Definitions: In these Regulations: "Director of the Services" – Director of the Veterinary Services of the Agriculture Ministry, or any person to whom the Director of the Services has delegated his or her powers under these Regulations, in whole or in part. "Department Director" – Director of the Cattle Department of the Agriculture Ministry, or any person to whom the Department Director has delegated his or her powers under these Regulations, in whole or in part. 2. Appointment of a Committee [Amendment 1957]: (a) The Minister of Agriculture shall appoint a committee consisting of thirteen members (hereinafter – the "Committee") including the chairman and his or her deputy. (b) The quorum in meetings of the Committee shall be seven members including the chairman or his or her deputy. (c) Resolutions of the Committee shall be carried by a majority; in case of a tie, the chairman – and in his or her absence, his or her deputy – shall have the deciding vote. Chapter Two: Breeding Bulls 3. Rules for Approval of Certification of Breeding Bulls: The Committee may, in the matter of approval of a bull as a breeding bull, establish rules in regard to – (1) the bodily build and conformation of the bull and of the male and female members of its family; (2) the milk production capacity of the female members of its family, in terms of quantity and quality (hereinafter – "Production Capacity"); 1 Compendium of Regulations 667, 5717, p. 688 Amendments: Compendium of Regulations 707, 5717, p. 1484; Compendium of Regulations 1511, 5724, p. 243 (3) the means and methods for determining the Production Capacity, bodily build and conformation as stated. 4. Certified Association: (a) The Department Director shall authorise an agricultural association to engage in inspection of the milk yield for the purpose of these Regulations (hereinafter – "Certified Association"), after it has undertaken – (1) to perform the milk yield inspection (hereinafter – the "Inspection") according to methods and by means of inspectors approved by the Department Director; (2) to comply with the instructions of the Department Director for supervising the performance of the Inspection; (3) to provide Inspection services to every dairy cow breeder under the Association’s accepted conditions, should the breeder request such services and the Committee require the association to provide them; (4) to present to the Department Director any written material in its possession relating to the Inspection, or a true copy thereof, whenever it is required to do so or after the authorisation has been revoked according to Subregulation (b). (b) The Department Director may, by written notice, cancel the authorisation of a Certified Association to engage in Inspection, if the association has defaulted on any of its undertakings in Subregulation (a). The association may appeal the decision of the Department Director before the Committee. 5. Official Offspring Examination At the request of the owner of a bull, which was registered in the books of the Certified Association, the Department Director shall examine the Production Capacity and bodily build of the bull’s female offspring, in accordance with rules laid down by the Committee (hereinafter – “Official Offspring Examination"), taking into account the data provided by the Certified Association with which the bull was registered as stated. 6. Permanent Certification of a Breeding Bull: The Department Director shall issue a permanent certificate confirming that a bull is a breeding bull in the matter of these Regulations, if the following conditions have been fulfilled: (1) the bull has reached the age of six; (2) the bodily build and conformation of the bull are on a level conforming to the rules laid down by the Committee; (3) the bull originates from a family whose female and male members have achieved a Production Capacity and are possessed of a bodily build and conformation on a level conforming to the rules laid down by the Committee; (4) the bull’s female offspring have achieved a level certified by the Committee on the basis of an Official Offspring Examination; (5) the bull is not suffering from an infectious disease or a defect permanently disqualifying it for breeding purposes, and a certificate to this effect has been provided by a veterinary surgeon licensed for the purpose of these Regulations by the Director of the Veterinary Services (hereinafter – "Licensed Veterinary Surgeon"). 7. Provisional Certification of a Breeding Bull: (a) The Department Director shall issue a provisional certificate confirming that a bull is a breeding bull, if the bull has reached the age of six months and fulfils the conditions specified in Regulation 6(2), (3) and (5). (b) The certificate under this regulation shall remain in effect until the bull reaches the age of six years. 8. Permanent Certificate in Place of a Provisional Certificate: The Department Director shall issue a permanent certificate at the end of the term of validity of a provisional certificate, if the condition specified in Regulation 6(4) has been fulfilled, provided the provisional certificate was not revoked prior thereto. 9. Certification and Branding Fee [Amendment 1994]: (a) A bull shall be certified as a breeding bull in a certificate issued by the Department Director. (b) Where a certificate has been issued pursuant to Subregulation (a), the bull shall be branded with a mark designated by the Department Director. 10. Duties of the Owner of a Breeding Bull: (a) A person owning or possessing a breeding bull shall be required – (1) to see to the adequate nourishment of the bull and to hold it in suitable conditions; (2) to notify the Department Director, in writing, of the holding place of the bull, immediately upon receipt of the certificate under Regulation 9, and of any change in the holding place, or of the sale of the bull, within seven days from the date of the change or the sale; than three months, and shall indicate this fact on the certificate issued in respect of the bull. The veterinary surgeon shall notify the Department Director in writing in this regard. (b) The owner of a bull which has been disqualified as stated in Subregulation (a) is required to hold it, throughout the period determined by the Licensed Veterinary Surgeon, in a manner preventing its coming into contact with cows and calves. 14. Slaughtering of a Breeding Bull: (a) A breeding bull may not be slaughtered, except – (1) in the case of emergency slaughtering – pursuant to a written permit issued by a veterinary surgeon; (2) in any other case – pursuant to a permit issued by the Department Director. (b) Where the Department Director has refused to issue a permit under this regulation, the owner of the breeding bull may appeal to the Committee. (c) The Department Director shall render a decision under this Regulation within three months from the date of submission of the application for a permit. 15. Notice Regarding Slaughtering or Death: Where a breeding bull has died or been slaughtered, its owner must give the Department Director a written notice in this regard, attaching the certificate of a Veterinary Surgeon as well as the certificate which was issued in respect of the bull. The Department Director shall indicate on the certificate the fact that the bull has died or been slaughtered and return it to the owner. Chapter Three: Artificial Insemination 16. Approval of Plant as a Centre for Artificial Insemination [Amendment 1964]: (a) The Director of the Services shall approve a plant as a centre for artificial insemination, if it fulfils the following conditions: (1) It has arrangements for holding bulls and for receiving semen and maintains a laboratory for examining and handling the semen. (2) The person owning or possessing the plant (hereinafter – the "Plant Owner") has undertaken: (i) to obtain the semen only from breeding bulls conforming to the accepted professional standard, and to mark the semen with marks indicating its origin in terms of enterprise and bull; (ii) to engage in artificial insemination and to employ for this purpose the number of certified inseminators to be determined by the Director of the Service taking into account the semen output at the plant, and to use for artificial insemination only semen produced by an artificial insemination centre; (iii) to employ a professional supervisor certified by the Director of the Services, if the plant is of a size enabling it to provide artificial insemination services for more than 5,000 head of cattle. (b) The Committee shall establish rules for the performance of professional activities by the artificial insemination centre. 17. Keeping Records [Amendment 1964]: Where a plant has been certified as stated in Regulation 16, its owner must keep records of all professional activities by means of forms to be designated by the Director of the Services with the Committee’s agreement, and submit to the Director of the Services copies of all records whenever he or she is required to do so. 18. Appeal against a Refusal to Grant Approval [Amendment 1964]: Where the Director of the Services has refused to grant approval under Regulation 16, the Plant Owner may appeal to the Committee; the Committee may set conditions and undertakings pursuant to Regulation 16. 19. Withdrawal of Approval of Artificial Insemination Centre [Amendment 1964]: (a) Where a Plant Owner has ceased to fulfil the conditions stated in Regulation 16(a)(1) or failed to comply with any of his or her undertakings according to Regulation 16(a)(2) or any of the provisions of Regulations 16(b) or 17, the Director of the Services may withdraw the approval given under Regulation 16 by a written notice. (b) The Director of the Services shall not exercise his or her authority as stated in Subregulation (a), unless he or she has presented the Plant Owner with a written demand to fulfil the condition, undertaking or provision within the period specified therein and included in the demand a warning that failure to comply therewith will result in withdrawal of the approval. (c) The Plant Owner may appeal to the Committee against withdrawal of the approval. 20. Determining the Number of Breeding Bulls [Amendment 1957]: (a) The Department Director may, with the agreement of the Committee, set a minimum number of breeding bulls, which the plant must hold. (b) If the plant fails to comply with such decision, the Department Director may, with the agreement of the Committee, forbid the Plant Owner to provide artificial insemination services for a greater number of cattle than the number set by him or her. Should the Plant Owner provide artificial insemination services despite the said prohibition, the Committee may, upon the Department Director’s recommendation, withdraw the plant’s approval as an artificial insemination centre. 21. Trade in Semen: A person may not trade in semen unless he or she is a Plant Owner. 22. Import and Export of Semen [Amendment 1964]: A person may not import or export semen except under a permit issued by the Director of the Services. 23. Dealing in Artificial Insemination [Amendment 1964]: (a) A person may not perform artificial insemination except as a certified inseminator and on behalf of an artificial insemination centre. (b) The Director of the Services shall certify an inseminator who has attended an artificial insemination course approved by the Director of the Services, passed the final examination in the course and undergone thereafter practical training which is recognised by the Director of the Services during a period of at least six months. (c) The Director of the Services shall issue to a person who has undergone practical training as stated in Subregulation (b) a provisional certificate as a certified inseminator for the period specified therein. (d) A certified inseminator shall be required to carry with him or her during working hours the certificate under this Regulation as well as a written confirmation by the artificial insemination centre on whose behalf he or she is performing the insemination, and to present the said documents to the Inspector whenever he or she is so required. Chapter Four: Miscellaneous Provisions 24. Deadline for Filing an Appeal: An appeal under these Regulations shall be filed within fourteen days from the date of the decision being appealed. 25. Prevention of Impregnation other than by a Breeding Bull [Amendment 1964]: (a) A person owning or possessing a cow or calf (hereinafter – "Cow Owner") shall not permit contact between it and a non-breeding bull or its insemination with semen other than by a certified inseminator. (b) A Cow Owner shall not hold a non-breeding bull except under a permit issued by the Department Director and in accordance with the terms of the permit. (c) An Inspector who has been authorised for this purpose by the Director of the Services, may geld a non-breeding bull which is held by a Cow Owner in the absence of a permit by the Department Director or in contravention of the terms of the permit. (d) The provisions of this regulation shall not apply to the owner of a cow which, according to the Department Director’s confirmation, is not intended for the production of marketed milk. (e) Where the Department Director has refused to issue a confirmation under Subregulation (d), the Cow Owner may appeal to the Committee. If the Department Director fails to notify the Cow Owner of his or her decision within fourteen days from the date of application to him or her, this shall be deemed as his or her refusal to issue a confirmation as stated. 26. Name: These Regulations shall be called: "Improvement of Agricultural Production (Livestock) Dairy Cows Regulations, 1957”. December 25, 1956 Kadish Luz Minister of Agriculture