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Eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis Act

Commencement: 18 March 1971

LAWS OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU
REVISED EDITION 1988

CHAPTER 59

ERADICATION OF BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS

JR 14 of 1970
JR 1 of 1977
JR 32 of 1977

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

SECTION

1. Declaration of infected region
2. Restriction on dealings in livestock in infected region
3. Inspectors to have access to stock-farms for inspection
4. Destruction of infected cattle

5. Animals which give positive reaction to intradermal tests to be destroyed within a year

6. Compensation for seizure and destruction of animals
7. Certificate of slaughter of animals
8. Amount of compensation
9. Offences and Penalties
10. Enforcement
11. Extension of Act to other areas of Vanuatu

SCHEDULE 1-Boundaries of infected region

SCHEDULE 2-Certificate of slaughter of animals originating from zone declared

infected by bovine tuberculosis
SCHEDULE 3-Certificate of confiscation of animals originating from zone

declared infected by bovine tuberculosis

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ERADICATION OF BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS

For the eradication of a centre of bovine tuberculosis in Vanuatu.

DECLARATION OF INFECTED REGION

1. The entire region situated between Hog Harbour in the South and Queiros Point in the North of the island of Espiritu Santo is hereby declared infected by bovine tuberculosis, within the boundaries shown on the map in Schedule 1.
   

RESTRICTION ON DEALINGS IN LIVESTOCK IN INFECTED REGION

2. (1) All commercial transactions, and exchanges or sales of live animals within this area, which have not received the authorisation of the Veterinary Inspector shall be suspended; all slaughter of cattle (including pigs) shall be supervised by the Veterinary Inspector or the Meat Inspector; no carcass nor part of a carcass may leave this area without an accompanying certificate issued by the Veterinary Inspector or the Meat Inspector, in the form prescribed by Schedule 2, stating that the meat has been proved to be completely untainted, and is intended either for a canning factory or for a butcher's shop.
   

(2) Any carcass or part of a carcass, internal organs or offal which, after veterinary inspection, are not certified fit for human consumption shall be destroyed or burned on the plantation itself and shall under no pretext leave the area outlined in section 1.

(3) No fresh milk produced within the said area may be sold or may leave the area without the consent of the Veterinary Inspector.

INSPECTORS TO HAVE ACCESS TO STOCK-FARMS FOR INSPECTION

3. The Veterinary Inspector and the Meat Inspector shall at all times have access to stock-farms situated within the area in question; they are authorised to carry out any inspections or tests which they consider necessary for the eradication of this disease; the owners are required to provide them with all the assistance necessary to ensure the success of the measures which they are required to enforce.
   

DESTRUCTION OF INFECTED CATTLE

4. (1) All cattle showing symptoms of tuberculosis, namely, chronic cough, visible or tangible hypertrophy of the lymph nodes, emaciation or any other symptom thereof shall be destroyed within a period of 2 months after the discovery of such symptoms, notice of which shall be given to the owners of animals in the area in question by the Veterinary Inspector.
   

(2) After the expiration of this two-month period the Veterinary Inspector shall notify the owner by letter that he requires the compulsory slaughter of the animals and that the owner can no longer claim the compensation provided for in section 6.

(3) The owner shall be bound to slaughter the animals concerned forthwith.

ANIMALS WHICH GIVE POSITIVE REACTION TO INTRADERMAL TESTS TO BE DESTROYED WITHIN A YEAR

5. (1) All animals which show no symptoms of tuberculosis but which give a positive reaction to tests for intradermal reaction shall be -
   

(a) branded or made to carry any other identification mark approved by the Veterinary Inspector; and

(b) destroyed within a maximum period of 1 year from the date on which the positive reaction was given.

(2) In addition to the foregoing provisions of this section, if it is discovered at any time in the course of inspection carried out by the Veterinary Inspector or in the course of meat examination, that more than 3 per cent of the animals in a herd are infected by tuberculosis, whether by test or after slaughtering, the herd in question shall be subject to full quarantine restrictions (which shall be final) issued by the Veterinary Inspector, allowing only slaughtered animals to leave the area; the carcass or carcasses, whatever their state or quality, may only be sold to a canning factory, and not to a butcher's establishment or to an establishment exporting fresh meat.

(3) The full quarantine restrictions shall be lifted by the Veterinary Inspector only when he is satisfied that the herd is completely free from disease I year after the last case of tuberculosis was detected, by the fact either that all intradermal tests carried out in the course of the last period of 12 months proved negative or that all slaughtering or autopsies carried out during such period of 12 months showed no animal to be infected with tuberculosis in any form.

COMPENSATION FOR SEIZURE AND DESTRUCTION OF ANIMALS

6. (1) Seizure and destruction of meat for tuberculosis shall give rise to compensation by the Government upon the issue of a certificate by the Veterinary Inspector or the Meat Inspector, in the form prescribed by Schedule 3.
   

(2) Any owner who has not taken the necessary steps to destroy all animals showing symptoms of tuberculosis within the period of 2 months prescribed by section 4 shall no longer be entitled to compensation.

CERTIFICATE OF SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS

7. After every compulsory slaughtering has been carried out under the control of the Veterinary Inspector or the Meat Inspector the said representative of the Agricultural Department will make out -
   
   • (a) a certificate in the form prescribed by Schedule 2 stating -
     
     • (i) the number and age of the animals slaughtered;
       
     • (ii) the date on which they were slaughtered;
       
     • (iii) the number of fore and hind quarters and the full list of offal found to be fit for consumption, together with their respective weights in kilogrammes.
       

This certificate shall accompany the vehicle used to transport the meat and shall be delivered to the canning factory or the butcher's establishment or the establishment which will market the meat. The purchaser shall be bound to countersign it and return it within 24 hours to the Agricultural Department at Luganville; and

(b) a certificate in the form prescribed by Schedule 3 stating -

(i) the number, sex and age of the animals slaughtered;

(ii) in each case the weight of meat on the carcass seized, excluding internal organs and offal;

(iii) in the case of each animal the value of the quarter or quarters seized.

AMOUNT OF COMPENSATION

8. The price of meat per kilogramme fixed for compensation for carcasses shall be -
   

(a) beef cattle weighing more than 200 kgs: VT48 per kilo;

(c) beef cattle weighing not more than 200 kgs: VT36 per kilo;

(c) fat cows weighing more than 200 kgs: VT42 per kilo;

(d) cows weighing more than 130 kgs but not more than 200 kgs: VT36 per kilo;

(e) cows weighing more than 100 kgs but not more than 130 kgs: VT30 per kilo;

(f) cows weighing not more than 100 kgs: VT24 per kilo;

(g) bulls, young bulls, heifers, calves: VT36 per kilo.

OFFENCE AND PENALTIES

9. Anyone contravening the provisions of this Act and in particular of sections 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7, including anyone who buys, sells or transports animals or meat which has not been inspected or is not accompanied by a certificate in the form prescribed by Schedule 2, or who sells or transports fresh milk without the consent of the Veterinary Inspector shall be liable to a fine of VT100,000.
   

ENFORCEMENT

10. The Veterinary Inspector, the Meat Inspector and the members of the police force shall be responsible for the enforcement of this Act.
    

EXTENSION OF ACT TO OTHER AREAS OF VANUATU

11. The provisions of this Act shall be applicable to any area or areas of Vanuatu which the Minister responsible for agriculture may declare to be infected by bovine tuberculosis.
    

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SCHEDULE I

(section 1)

BOUNDARIES OF INFECTED REGION

Mission
Hog Harbour
Port Olry
Cap Queiros
Matantas

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SCHEDULE 2

(sections 2 and 7)

Certificate of slaughter of animals originating from zone declared infected by bovine tuberculosis

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SCHEDULE 3

(sections 6 and 7)

Certificate of confiscation of animals originating from zone declared infected by bovine tuberculosis

TYPE: (a) beef cattle weighing more than 200 kgs: VT48 per kilo

(b) beef cattle weighing not more than 200 kgs: VT36 per kilo

(d) fat cows weighing more than 200 kgs: VT42 per kilo

(e) cows weighing more than 130 kgs but not more than 200 kgs: VT36 per kilo

(f) cows weighing more than 100 kgs but not more than 130 kgs: VT30 per kilo

(g) cows weighing not more than 100 kgs: VT24 per kilo

(h) bulls, young bulls, heifers, calves: VT36 per kilo.

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