Law of the People's Republic of China on Animal Epidemic Prevention

(npc.gov.cn)     Updated : 2015-08-17

Article 14 The administrative departments for veterinary medicine under the local people’s governments at or above the county level shall organize the implementation of the plans for mandatory immunization against animal epidemics. The people’s governments at the township level and the neighborhood offices in cities shall make arrangements for the units and individuals that raise animals in the areas under their respective jurisdiction to make a success of mandatory immunization.

The units and individuals that raise animals shall perform their duties in accordance with law in mandatory immunization against animal epidemics and do a good job in this respect, as required by the administrative departments for veterinary medicine.

Files on the animals that have received mandatory immunization shall be kept in accordance with the regulations of the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council, and the livestock and poultry shall have labels attached to them so that they can be traced for control.

Article 15 People’s governments at or above the county level shall set up a sound network for animal epidemic monitoring, and improve such monitoring.

The administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council shall formulate the national plan for animal epidemic monitoring. The administrative departments for veterinary medicine under the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall, on the basis of the national plan for animal epidemic monitoring, formulate plans for animal epidemic monitoring in their respective administrative areas.

The institutions for prevention and control of animal epidemics shall, according to the regulations of the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council, conduct monitoring of the outbreak and spread of animal epidemics. The units and individuals engaged in animal raising, slaughtering, marketing, isolation and transportation and in animal product manufacturing, marketing, processing and storing shall not reject or obstruct such monitoring.

Article 16 The administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council and the administrative departments for veterinary medicine under the people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall, in a timely manner, issue early warnings against animal epidemics on the basis of the outbreak and trend of spread of animal epidemics they have detected. Upon receiving the early warnings against animal epidemics, the local people’s governments at various levels shall adopt prevention and control measures accordingly.

Article 17 The units and individuals engaged in animal raising, slaughtering, marketing, isolation and transportation as well as in animal product manufacturing, marketing, processing and storing shall, according to the provisions of this Law and the regulations of the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council, do a good job of animal epidemic prevention, including immunization and disinfection.

Article 18 The breeding and dairy animals and the pet animals shall be kept in conformity with the health standards set by the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council.

The breeding and dairy animals shall be subject to regular checkup by institutions for prevention and control of animal epidemics; the ones that fail to pass the checkup shall be dealt with according to the regulations of the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council.

Article 19 Animal raising farms (small breeding villages), isolation places, animal slaughtering and processing houses, and places where animals and animal products are given innocuous treatment, shall be kept in conformity with the following conditions for prevention of animal epidemics:

(1) They are located at a distance from the public places, such as residential areas, sources of drinking water, schools and hospitals, that is in conformity with the standards laid down by the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council;

(2) The enclosure and isolation of the production area and the engineering design and technological process meet the requirements for animal epidemic prevention;

(3) There are the necessary facilities and equipment for innocuous treatment and for cleaning and decontamination of waste water, waste materials, animals that die of diseases, and infected animal products;

(4) There are technicians for their service in animal epidemic prevention;

(5) There is a perfect system for animal epidemic prevention; and

(6) They meet other conditions for animal epidemic prevention laid down by the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council.

Article 20 For building of an animal raising farm (small breeding village) or isolation place, animal slaughtering and processing house, or a place where animals and animal products are given innocuous treatment, an application shall be submitted to the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the people’s government at or above the country level, with the relevant materials attached to it. The administrative department for veterinary medicine which accepts the application shall examine it according to the provisions of this Law and of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administrative Permission. If the application passes the examination, the certificate of conformity to the conditions for animal epidemic prevention shall be issued to the applicant; otherwise, the applicant shall be notified of the fact and of the reasons. Where registration with the administrative department for industry and commerce is required, the applicant shall apply to the said department for registration.

In the certificate of conformity to the conditions for animal epidemic prevention shall clearly be stated the applicant’s title, address of the place, etc.

The markets trading in animals and animal products shall meet the conditions for animal epidemic prevention laid down by the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council, and shall be subject to supervision and inspection by the animal health supervision institutions.

Article 21 The vehicles for carrying animals and animal products, the beddings, package and containers shall be kept in conformity with the requirements for animal epidemic prevention laid down by the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council.

Infected animals and their excretions, and products, carcasses of animals that die of illness or of unknown causes, animal excretions in the carrying vehicles, and the contaminated beddings, package, containers, etc. shall be treated in accordance with the regulations of the administrative department for veterinary medicine under the State Council and shall not be disposed of randomly.

Article 22 Persons engaged in collection, preservation and transportation of animal pathological materials or pathogenic microbes as well as research, teaching, detection and diagnosis of pathogenic microbes, etc. shall abide by the regulations of the State on the management of pathogenic microbe laboratories.