The Importation of Animals Order 1977

Action in case of disease among imported animals

12.—(1) Where a veterinary inspector knows or suspects that any disease exists among imported animals at a port or airport (whether or not those animals, or any of them, have been unloaded from the vessel or aircraft which brought them to Great Britain), he may, by notice in writing served on the person appearing to him to have charge of those animals, require that person, at his own expense or at the expense of the owner of the animals,—

(a) without delay, to slaughter them or cause them to be slaughtered, in accordance with such conditions as may be specified in the notice;

(b) within such period as may be specified in the notice, and subject to such conditions as may be so specified, to export them from Great Britain or cause them to be so exported; or

(c) immediately to detain them, and keep them isolated from any other animals, at such place as may be specified in the notice, and to take such other action in relation to those animals as may be so specified for the purpose of preventing the introduction or spreading of disease into or within Great Britain;

and the powers conferred on a veterinary inspector by the foregoing provisions of this paragraph shall, notwithstanding anything in this order, include power to require or prohibit the unloading of animals to which the notice relates from a vessel or aircraft.

(2) Nothing in paragraph (1) above shall be construed as precluding the owner of animals to which a notice under that paragraph relates from slaughtering them or causing them to be slaughtered, or, where the notice was served under sub-paragraph (c) of that paragraph, from exporting them from Great Britain or causing them to be so exported.

(3) Where a veterinary inspector knows or suspects that any disease exists among animals at approved premises, he shall inform the person in charge of those premises of his knowledge or suspicion, and he may, if he considers it expedient so to do for the purpose of preventing the introduction or spreading of disease into or within Great Britain, by notice in writing served on that person,—

(a) require that no animals be moved into or out of the approved premises, or that such movements shall only take place subject to such conditions as may be specified in the notice; and

(b) impose, in respect of the approved premises or of any apparatus, equipment or thing thereat used in connection with or for or about animals, or in relation to any animals detained at the approved premises, such other requirements as may be specified in the notice for the purpose of—

(i) ascertaining whether disease exists, and if so, the nature of that disease,

(ii) preventing or reducing the risk of disease being introduced into or spread within Great Britain, or

(iii) treating any animal which may be affected with disease, or which may have been exposed to the risk of becoming so affected.

(4) A notice under paragraph (3) above may be varied or withdrawn at any time by a further notice in writing served by a veterinary inspector on the person in charge of the approved premises, and shall remain in force until withdrawn by such a further notice.

(5) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article, the appropriate Minister may at any time seize or cause to be seized, and thereafter slaughter or cause to be slaughtered,—

(a) any imported animal at a port or airport, or any animal detained at approved premises, which is affected with or suspected of being affected with disease, or which has been exposed to the infection of disease; and

(b) any animal which may have been in contact with an animal to which sub-paragraph (a) above applies;

and for the purpose of exercising the powers conferred by the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, a veterinary inspector or other person acting for or on behalf of the appropriate Minister may enter any land or premises, or any vessel, aircraft, vehicle or container, at or in which the animal in question is detained; and, where those powers have been exercised, the carcase of the animal shall be disposed of in such manner as a veterinary inspector may direct.