Import procedure
18.—(1) A person must not import any animal unless he or she has given notice of his or her intention to do so in accordance with Article 1 of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 282/2004.
(2) On importation, the importer or the importer’s agent must convey the animal, under the supervision of the enforcement authority, directly to the border inspection post examination area or, where the instruments in Schedule 7 or the animal health conditions applicable to imports so require, to a quarantine centre as provided for in the second indent of the first sub-paragraph of Article 10(1) of Council Directive 91/496/EEC.
(3) A person must not remove any animal from a quarantine centre or border inspection post unless the common veterinary entry document has been completed in accordance with Article 3(1) of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 282/2004 indicating that all necessary veterinary checks have been carried out to the satisfaction of the official veterinarian.
(4) A person must not remove any animal from Customs temporary storage arrangements —
(a)unless the common veterinary entry document has been produced in accordance with Article 3(3) of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 282/2004 to an officer of Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise and the removal has been authorised by that officer;
(b)to any place other than the place of destination specified in the common veterinary entry document, unless he or she has been required to remove it to another place by means of a notice served on him or her by an inspector.
(5) The person in charge of an animal imported from a third country must ensure that it is conveyed to its place of destination without delay and that the original of the common veterinary entry document accompanies it to its place of destination in accordance with Article 3(4) of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 282/2004.
(6) Where a check involves the taking of a sample for testing and the test result is not immediately available, the official veterinarian may by notice served on the owner or the person appearing to him or her to be in charge of an animal release that animal from the border inspection post, and require that person to keep the animal in accordance with such conditions as may be specified in the notice until the test results are available; and if the test reveals that the animal does not comply with the provisions of Article 5 of Council Directive 91/496/EEC then the provisions of regulation 21 apply as they apply at a border inspection post.
(7) In the event of a notice served under paragraph (4) or (6) not being complied with a veterinary inspector may seize any animal to which it relates, and arrange for the requirements of the notice to be complied with.