RSNL1990 CHAPTER L-22 - LIVESTOCK HEALTH ACT - Point in Time

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Livestock Health Act.

RSN1970 c212 s1

Definitions

2. In this Act

(a) "livestock" means wild animals and birds, whether captive or not, and domestic animals and birds, but does not include fish or reptiles; and

(b) "minister" means the minister appointed under the Executive Council Act to administer this Act.

RSN1970 c212 s2; 1973 No37 Sch; 1979 c49 Sch B; 1983 c65 s1; 1989 c18 Sch B; 2006 c40 s21

Designation of areas

3. The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may by proclamation designate a part of the province as a livestock health area in respect of livestock generally or a particular class or kind of livestock.

RSN1970 c212 s3

Power to make regulations

4. (1) The minister, with the approval of the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, may make regulations in respect of an area, or in respect of the province at large, or in respect of both,

(a) prescribing the breeds, kinds, classes and qualities of livestock which may be kept and bred in the province, or in specified parts of it;

(b) prescribing the measures to be taken to inspect livestock entering the province, and to determine their freedom from contagious or infectious diseases and undesirable qualities or characteristics generally and to place them in quarantine in proper cases;

(c) prescribing those species or classes of animal or livestock which the minister considers appropriate to exempt from the regulations or portions of the regulations;

(d) prescribing the sanitary condition of premises in which animals are kept on landing;

(e) governing the precautions to be taken to isolate landed livestock to prevent the spread of disease;

(f) prescribing the methods and procedures and requirements of veterinary testing to be applied to livestock;

(g) specifying the precautions to be taken on the landing of meats, raw hides or other parts of dead livestock which might carry infection;

(h) prescribing the disinfection of premises or vehicles and the destruction of straw, bedding or other materials with which livestock have been in contact and which might carry infection;

(i) prescribing the prohibition of moving livestock from the point of entry;

(j) prescribing the prohibition of the use of premises or vehicles considered to be infected or probably infected, and the prohibition of the use of ground considered to be infected for the keeping of livestock there;

(k) prescribing the duty to give to the proper authority notice of the presence or appearance of a disease among livestock;

(l) prescribing the providing of information by importers and dealers as to actual or proposed landings of livestock, and as to the conditions as regards animal diseases in the places from which the livestock are imported or proposed to be imported;

(m) prescribing rules for the moving, keeping, handling and treatment of livestock not apparently diseased but responding unsatisfactorily to standard tests for latent disease or proneness to disease;

(n) governing the records to be kept and the information to be supplied by all importers, dealers, keepers and breeders of livestock in the province; and the forms necessary for the above purposes;

(o) prescribing rules for the slaughter of livestock found to be dangerously infected; and for compensating owners of livestock ordered to be slaughtered;

(p) respecting rules for post-mortem examinations of the carcass or livestock slaughtered or found dead;

(q) prescribing the procedure for combating, controlling and eradicating a disease of livestock not so dealt with under another law;

(r) prescribing procedures for inspecting the foods given to animals, and for prohibiting the use of foods which either inherently or because of their source might convey infection;

(s) prescribing the conditions to be established and maintained in and about slaughter houses, and reports to be made by their operators;

(t) prescribing the control of the storage, sale and use of

(i) live and killed vaccines, and

(ii) drugs

intended for use on livestock;

(u) prescribing the licensing of importers of, dealers in and breeders and keepers of livestock and the inspection of their premises and livestock and the prevention and control of diseases found there, and for preventing the communication of diseases to other premises and livestock and for the withdrawal of the licences in case of wilful or persistent violation of the terms of this Act or of regulations;

(v) specifying the diseases of livestock which shall be considered infectious or contagious for the purpose of this Act;

(w) prescribing the tagging or marking of animals for identification;

(x) prescribing that the cost of tests, vaccinations, inoculations or treatments shall be paid by the owner of the livestock concerned;

(y) prescribing the prohibition of the transfer of laying fowls from 1 establishment to another after a certain period of laying in the former establishment; and

(z) generally, to give effect to the purpose of this Act.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (o), livestock moved, transferred, sold or set at large contrary to this Act or the regulations may be slaughtered without compensation.

RSN1970 c212 s4; 1971 No12 s2; 1971 No14 s2; 1990 c38 s1

Veterinarians and inspectors

5. The minister may appoint veterinary surgeons, inspectors and other officers to carry out the purposes of this Act, and shall assign their duties.

RSN1970 c212 s5

Co-operation with federal authorities

6. (1) The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may by regulations provide for the implementation of an arrangement made between the minister and the Minister of Agriculture (Canada) for co-operating in the control and eradication of livestock diseases.

(2) Regulations made under subsection (1) may be made with retroactive effect.

RSN1970 c212 s6

Inspectors at federal disposal

7. The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may order that, at the request of the appropriate federal authority, inspectors under this Act may be designated inspectors under the laws of Canada respecting the health of animals.

RSN1970 c212 s7

Offences and penalties

8. A person contravening this Act or the regulations is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $500, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or to both a fine and imprisonment.

RSN1970 c212 s9