Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009
No: 27 Dated: Mar, 20 2009
THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS AND CONTAGIOUS DISEASES IN ANIMALS ACT, 2009
ACT NO. 27 OF 2009
An Act to provide for the prevention, control and eradication of infectious and contagious diseases affecting animals, for prevention of outbreak or spreading of such diseases from one State to another, and to meet the international obligations of India for facilitating import and export of animals and animal products and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
WHEREAS economic losses due to infectious and contagious diseases of animals are enormous in the country with some of these diseases constituting a serious threat to the public;
AND WHEREAS many of such animal diseases can be largely prevented by judicious implementation of vaccination programmes or by taking other appropriate and timely measures on scientific lines;
AND WHEREAS such measures are necessary to facilitate the import and export of animals and animal products and to keep in tune with international practices;
AND WHEREAS it has been realised that the prevention, control and eradication of infectious and contagious diseases of animals from India has to be tackled on a national basis so as to avoid adverse impact of such diseases on the economy of the country and for this purpose harmonise the control procedures and to prevent inter-State transmission of animal diseases;
AND WHEREAS the national level handling has to be done with the active involvement of the State Governments, particularly in regard to the precautionary measures required to be taken within their jurisdiction in respect of certain infectious and contagious diseases and the regulation of movement of animals outside their respective areas by timely adoption of appropriate measures;
AND WHEREAS India is a Member Country of the Office International Des Epizooties, Paris and it is necessary to implement the general obligations, decisions and recommendations of the said Organisation and abide by the International Animal Health Code stipulated by the said Organisation;
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Sixtieth Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. Short title, extent and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009.
(2) It shall come into force on such date2 as the Central Government may, by notification, appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different States or for different areas therein as well as for different provisions of this Act, and any reference in any such provision of this Act to the commencement of this Act shall be construed in relation to any State or area or provision as a reference to the coming into force of this Act or, as the case may be, of that provision, in such State or area.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “animal” means,—
(i) cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, yak, mithun;
(ii) dog, cat, pig, horse, camel, ass, mule, poultry, bees; and
(iii) any other animal or bird as the Central Government may, by notification, specify;
(b) “Check Post” means any place established as such by the Director to carry out checking of animals for the purpose of this Act;
(c) “Competent Officer” means any person or officer of the Government notified as a Competent Officer under section 17;
(d) “compulsory vaccination” means vaccination of any animal against any scheduled disease in respect of which vaccination is made mandatory under the provisions of this Act;
(e) “controlled area” means any local area which has been declared as such by the State Government under sub-section (1) of section 6;
(f) “defective vaccine” means any vaccine which is expired, breach in seal, contaminated, improperly stored, unlabelled or with mutilated label;
(g) “Director”, in relation to a State, means any officer in charge of the Department of Animal Husbandry or Veterinary Services, or both, notified by the State Government as such for the purpose of this Act;
(h) “free area” means any controlled area which has been declared as such under sub-section (5) of section 6;
(i) “infected animal” means an animal which is infected with any scheduled disease;
(j) “infected area” means an area declared as such under section 20; (k) “notification” means notification published in the Official Gazette;
(l) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(m) “publication” includes propagation of information through the media or newspaper or any other mass media and the means of local communication such as declaration in loud voice and by beating drums in the area;
(n) “Quarantine Camp” means any place declared to carry out quarantine of animals and birds for the purpose of this Act;
(o) “scheduled disease” means any disease included in the Schedule;
(p) “Veterinarian” means a person having a recognised veterinary qualification who, under the law for the time being in force, is allowed to treat animal diseases;
(q) “Veterinary Officer” means any officer, appointed as such by the State Government under clause (b) of section 3;
(r) “Village Officer”, in relation to a village, means any person who is authorised or designated as such in accordance with the qualifications prescribed by the State Government.