The Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981

Payment of compensation, etc., and liabilities of persons other than owners N.I.

Persons to whom compensation, etc., may be paid and liabilities of persons other than owners N.I.

58.—(1) Where the Department is authorised or required by any provision of this Order to make any payment by way of compensation or otherwise in respect of animals or poultry, the Department may make the payment to the person appearing to it to be the owner of the animals or poultry and the payment to such person shall be a complete discharge of the Department's liability to make the payment.

(2) Where, under paragraph (1), any payment is made in respect of animals or poultry to a person who is not the owner of the animals or poultry, that personal shall, subject to any agreement to the contrary between him and the owner, be liable to pay to the owner an amount equal to the amount of that payment and any amount which a person is liable to pay to an owner under this paragraph shall be a debt recoverable summarily by the owner from that person.

(3) Where animals or poultry are hired under a hire-purchase agreement—

(a) the Department may, where a payment is authorised or required to be made under Article 3, otherwise than in respect of animals or poultry which have been slaughtered, treat the hirer as the owner of those animals or poultry;

(b) the provisions of Articles 5(1) (d), 18(4), 40(1) and 46(7) shall apply to those animals and poultry as if references in those provisions to the owner included references to the hirer.