The Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009

(1) This Act may be called the Prevention and Controlof Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals 1[Act, 2009]. (2) It shall come into force on such date2as the Central Government may, by notification, appoint;and different dates may be appointed for different States or for different areas therein as well as fordifferent provisions of this Act, and any reference in any such provision of this Act to the commencementof this Act shall be construed in relation to any State or area or provision as a reference to the coming intoforce of this Act or, as the case may be, of that provision, in such State or area.

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, 1specify; (b) "Check Post" means any place established as such by the Director to carry out checking ofanimals for the purpose of this Act; (c) "Competent Officer" means any person or officer of the Government notified as a CompetentOfficer under section 17; (d) "compulsory vaccination" means vaccination of any animal against any scheduled disease inrespect 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 StateGovernment 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 AnimalHusbandry or Veterinary Services, or both, notified by the State Government as such for the purposeof 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 anyother mass media and the means of local communication such as declaration in loud voice and bybeating drums in the area; (n) "Quarantine Camp" means any place declared to carry out quarantine of animals and birds forthe 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 thelaw 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 underclause (b) of section 3; (r) "Village Officer", in relation to a village, means any person who is authorised or designated assuch in accordance with the qualifications prescribed by the State Government.

The State Government may, by notification, appoint-- (a) such number of persons, as it deems proper, to be Veterinarians to undertake inspection andspecifying the local limits of their respective jurisdiction; and (b) such number of Veterinarians, as it deems proper, to be Veterinary Officers, who shallexercise their powers and discharge their duties within the local limits of their jurisdiction as may bespecified in the said notification.

(1) Every owner, or any other person,non-governmental organisation, public bodies or the village panchayat, in charge of any animal which heor it has reason to believe to be infective of a scheduled disease shall report the fact to the Village Officeror village panchayat in-charge, who may report the same in writing to the nearest available Veterinarian. (2) The Village Officer shall visit the area falling within his jurisdiction for reporting any outbreak ofthe disease. (3) Every Veterinarian shall, on receipt of a report under sub-section (1), or otherwise, if he hasreason to believe that any animal is infected with a scheduled disease, report the matter to the VeterinaryOfficer. (4) Where in any State there is any occurrence of scheduled disease in relation to any animal, theDirector shall send an intimation to the Directors of the States which are in the immediate neighbourhoodof the place where there is such occurrence, for taking appropriate preventive measures against the spreadof the disease.

(1) Every owner or person in charge of an animal, which hehas reason to believe is infective of a scheduled disease, shall segregate such animal and have it kept in aplace away from all other animals which are healthy, and take all possible steps to prevent the infectedanimal from coming in contact with any other animal. (2) The owner or other person in charge of, or having control over, the animal referred to insub-section (1) shall confine that animal and prevent it from grazing in a common place or to drink waterfrom any common source including a vessel, pond, lake or river. (3) All other infected animals shall be segregated by the Municipality, Panchayat or other localadministration.