Animal Health Act 1981 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Animal Health Act 1981

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate the Diseases of Animals Act 1935, the Diseases of Animals Act 1950, the Ponies Act 1969, the Rabies Act 1974, the Diseases of Animals Act 1975, and certain related enactments.
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal Assent	11 June 1981
Other legislation
Amendments	Animal Health and Welfare Act 1984 Animal Health (Amendment) Act 1998
Status:
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Animal Health Act 1981 is a piece of UK legislation that provides powers for the control of outbreaks of avian influenza and Newcastle disease. These powers were extended by a statutory instrument. It was amended by the Animal Health and Welfare Act 1984. It was amended in 2002 to provide more powers to deal with foot and mouth disease, a problem that in 2001 bedevilled herds during the Blair ministry.

The Act provides for:

• slaughter of diseased poultry, poultry suspected of disease, poultry exposed to disease and poultry which the government thinks should be slaughtered to prevent the spread of disease
• payment of compensation for birds that are slaughtered but are not diseased.
• publication of a slaughter protocol prior to exercising the power to impose a preventive or firebreak cull. Emergency vaccination would have to be considered prior to any cull, and, if not used, the reasons would have to be published.
• powers for veterinary inspectors to enter premises to ascertain whether disease anti-bodies exist, whether any animal is or was infected with disease and whether any causative agent of disease is present
• publication of biosecurity guidance
• preparation and review of a national contingency plan