S.I. No. 144/2001 - Diseases of Animals Act, 1966 (Foot-And-Mouth Disease) (Restriction on Artificial Insemination) Order, 2001

I, Joe Walsh, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 3 , 5 and 13 of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1966 (No. 6 of 1966) (as adapted by the Agriculture and Food (Alteration in Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order, 1999 ( S.I. No. 307 of 1999 )), for the purposes of preventing the spreading of foot-and-mouth disease, hereby order as follows:

1.        This Order may be cited as the Diseases of Animals Act, 1966 (Foot-and-Mouth Disease) (Restriction on Artificial Insemination) Order, 2001.

2.        In this Order-

“Act of 1947” means the Live Stock (Artificial Insemination) Act, 1947 (No. 32 of 1947);

“authorised officer” means a person authorised pursuant to section 17A (inserted by section 2 of the Diseases of Animals (Amendment) Act, 2001 (No. 3 of 2001)) of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1966 (No. 6 of 1966);

“bovine semen licence” means a licence granted by the Minister or a person designated by him for the purposes of this Order;

“public place” and “public road” have the same meaning as in the Road Traffic Act, 1961 (No. 24 of 1961).

3.     (1) Until 19 April 2001, a person shall not sell or supply or attempt to sell or supply-

(a)    bovine semen, or

(b)    any equipment or other thing used to transport bovine semen or administer bovine semen to an animal.

(2) From 19 April 2001, a person shall not sell or supply or attempt to sell or supply-

(a)    bovine semen, or

(b)    any equipment or other thing used to transport bovine semen or administer bovine semen to an animal,

save under and in accordance with a bovine semen licence.

4.        Until 19 April 2001, a person shall not bring or cause to be brought any container containing, or that has contained, bovine semen into or onto any land or premises where animals are kept for farming purposes.

5.        A person shall not have in his or her possession or under his or her control bovine semen in a public place or on a public road save under and in accordance with a bovine semen licence.

6.        (1) Until 19 April 2001, a person shall not engage in the artificial insemination of bovine animals in any place in the State, save under a licence issued under the Act of 1947 in respect of bovine animals in his own herd or a herd specified in the licence.

(2) From 19 April 2001, a person shall not engage in the artificial insemination of bovine animals under the Act of 1947 in any place in the State, save under and in accordance with a bovine semen licence or a licence issued under the Act of 1947 in respect of bovine animals in his own herd or a herd specified in the licence.

7.        Where an authorised officer, member of the Garda Siochana or officer of Customs and Excise has reasonable cause to suspect that a person is -

(a)  selling or supplying bovine semen,

(b)  selling or supplying any equipment or other thing used to transport bovine semen or administer bovine semen to an animal, or

(c)  has, or has had, bovine semen in his or her possession or under his or her control in a public place or on a public road,

he or she may request the person to produce the bovine semen licence relating to the sale, supply, possession or, as the case may be, control of the bovine semen to the officer or member and the person shall produce the bovine semen licence.

8.       Subject to this Order, this Order does not affect the operation of -

(a)  the Act of 1947,

(b)  the Foot and Mouth (Restriction on movement) (No. 3) Order, 2001 ( S.I. No. 62 of 2001 ), or

(c)  the Foot and Mouth (Restriction on movement) (No. 4) Order, 2001 ( S.I. No. 63 of 2001 ).

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

The effect of this Order is to further regulate Artificial Insemination services.