Tanzania
Animal Diseases Act
Chapter 156
- Published in Tanzania Government Gazette
- Commenced on 1 August 1940
- [This is the version of this document at 31 July 2002.]
- [Note: This legislation has been thoroughly revised and consolidated under the supervision of the Attorney General's Office, in compliance with the Laws Revision Act No. 7 of 1994, the Revised Laws and Annual Revision Act (Chapter 356 (R.L.)), and the Interpretation of Laws and General Clauses Act No. 30 of 1972. This version is up-to-date as at 31st July 2002.]
Part I – Preliminary provisions (ss. 1-4)
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Animal Diseases Act.2. Interpretation
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—"animals" means cattle, sheep, goats, and all other ruminating domestic animals, or birds, horses, mules, asses, swine, dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits, captive wild mammals and ostriches; poultry, comprising domestic fowls, ducks, geese, pigeons, guinea-fowls and turkeys, parrots and any other animal or words which the Minister may, by order, declare to be included in this definition;"Assistant Livestock Officer" means a person so appointed by the Minister;"carcass" means the meat, bones, hide, skin, hoofs, horns, wool, offal or other part of an animal;"cat" includes any animal of the feline species;"cattle" means bulls, cows, oxen, heifers and calves;"Director" means the person appointed by the President for the purpose of exercising the powers and performing the duties of the Director under the provisions of this Act;"disease" means anthrax, blackquarter, cattle plague (rinderpest), contagious bovine pleura-pneumonia, contagious pleura-pneumonia of goats, dourine, east coast fever, epizootic lymphangitis, foot-and-mouth disease, fowl typhoid, African horse sickness, glanders, haemorrhagia septicaemia, malignant catarrh, mange (including scab), pox, rabies, swine erysipelas, swine fever, trypanosomiasis, tuberculosis, ulcerative lymphangitis, undulant fever in goats, cysticercosis, pseudo-urticaria of cattle (lumpy skin disease), African swine fever, brucellosis (contagious abortion), epidemic tremor, fowl cholera, infectious bovine cervico-vaginitis and epididymitis ("epivag"), Newcastle disease, psittacosis, trichomoniasis, vibriosis, anaplasmosis (gall sickness), piroplasmosis (tick fever, redwater, babesiosis), and any other contagious or infectious disease of animals that the Minister may, by order, declare to be included in this definition;"disposal" includes destruction;"dog" includes any animal of the canine species;"fodder" means hay, grain or other substance commonly used for the food of animals;"infected area" means an area declared as such under the provisions of section 21;"Inspector" means a Veterinary Officer, a Veterinary Research Officer, an Assistant Livestock Officer, a Stock Inspector, a Veterinary Assistant, a Veterinary Guard and any person appointed to be an Inspector in accordance with section 4;"litter" means straw or other substance commonly used for bedding or otherwise for or about animals;"Local Authority" has the meaning ascribed in the Local Government (Urban Authorities) Act1;"milk" means milk or any milk product which has not been subjected to any process of sterilisation;"Minister" means the Minister responsible for livestock;"owner" as applied to animals, includes any person having any right, title or interest in an animal or having an animal in his possession, custody or control;"rabies area" means any area which has been declared by a Veterinary officer under the provisions of section 21 to be an infected area by reason of his being satisfied that rabies exists therein or is likely to spread thereto;"stock" means cattle, sheep, goats, horses, mules, donkey, swine and poultry;"stray" in relation to a dog or cat means any dog or cat which has no owner;"Veterinary Assistant" means a person appointed by the Director;"Veterinary Guard" means a person so appointed by the Director;"Veterinary Officer" means a person appointed by the Minister to be a government veterinary officer or to exercise the powers of a veterinary officer.3. Power to vary definition of disease
The Minister may, by order, remove from the definition of "disease" contained in section 2 the name of any disease appearing therein.4. Appointment of Inspectors
The Minister may appoint fit and proper persons, with or without remuneration, to exercise all or any of the powers, or perform all or any of the duties, of an Inspector and every such appointment shall be notified in the Gazette.Part II – Measures for checking disease (ss. 5-11)
5. Diseased animals to be separated
The owner of any animal affected or suspected of being affected with disease shall keep such animal separate from animals not so affected or suspected.6. Duty to report disease or death of animal in certain cases
7. Procedure on notification of disease
8. Administrative Officer to notify owners of stock of outbreak
An Administrative Officer shall, on receipt of a report from a Veterinary Officer of the existence of a disease within his District, forthwith cause the local authority and the owners or occupiers of farms and owners of stock in the neighbourhood of the place in which such disease exists to be notified of the outbreak.9. Slaughter of affected animals
10. Disposal of carcasses of slaughtered animals
Where an animal has been slaughtered under the authority of section 9, or destroyed under any other provision of this Act, the carcass shall belong to the Government and shall be disposed of in such manner as a Veterinary Officer may direct.11. Illegal use of veterinary department brands
Part III – Powers of officers (ss. 12-18)
12. Disposal of carcasses, etc., of diseased animals
Where an animal dies of disease any Veterinary Officer or other Inspector may give directions with reference to the burial, destruction or disposal of the carcass, and any litter, dung or fodder associated with the carcass.13. Power of examination, inoculation, disinfection, etc.
14. Power to carry out tests
Any Veterinary Officer or other Inspector may, for the purpose of detecting or diagnosing disease, take or cause to be taken from any animal blood smears, or apply such other tests as he may consider necessary.15. Power to prohibit exhibitions, restrict slaughter, etc.
16. Power to enter and examine
17. Power to inspect
The owner of any animal, carcass, litter, dung or fodder shall produce the same for inspection when called upon to do so by an Administrative Officer, Veterinary Officer or other Inspector.18. Power to carry out requirements
If any person is required by this Act or by any regulation, order or direction made or given thereunder to do any act or thing but fails to comply with that requirement, any Administrative Officer, Veterinary Officer, or Assistant Livestock Officer may cause the same to be done at the expense of that person.Part IV – Compensation (ss. 19-20)
19. Compensation to be paid for slaughter
Except as hereinafter provided, no compensation shall be payable to any person for any act done under this Act unless the Minister otherwise directs, provided that, subject to section 20, compensation for animals slaughtered in accordance with section 9 shall be paid to the owner as follows—20. Cases where compensation may be withheld
Part V – Infected areas (ss. 21-23)
21. Declaration of infected areas
22. Restrictions applicable in infected areas
23. Negligently allowing escape from infected areas
Any person negligently allowing an animal to escape from an infected area shall be deemed to have moved the animal from that area.Part VI – Compulsory dipping areas (ss. 24-30)
24. Declaration of compulsory dipping areas
The Minister may, by order, declare any area within the country to be a compulsory dipping area for the purposes of this Part.25. Regulations for compulsory dipping areas
26. Loans
The Minister may authorise the grant of loans out of public funds to owners of cattle within a compulsory dipping area for the purpose of defraying the cost of building cattle dipping tanks and such loans to be of such amounts and upon such conditions including conditions as to interest (if any) and repayment, as he shall think fit.27. Application for loan
Whenever the owner of any immovable property, which expression includes a right of occupancy, is required by any order or regulation made in pursuance of the provisions of this Part to build a cattle dipping tank he may apply to the Prime Minister for a loan not exceeding four thousand shillings for defraying the cost and every such loan shall be secured by a charge upon the said property as hereinafter provided.28. Particulars to be submitted to the Registrar
29. Assignment of property charged
No assignment or transfer of any property charged in manner aforesaid shall be made or registered unless a certificate signed by the Accountant-General is lodged with the Registrar certifying—30. Remedies in case of default
If, in the case of any advance of money under the provisions of this Act—Part VII – Regulations (s. 31)
31. Regulations
Part VIII – Legal proceedings and penalties (ss. 32-37)
32. No action to lie for act done under authority in good faith
No action shall lie against the Government or any officer thereof or any person exercising with proper authority the duties of an officer for any act done in good faith under the provisions of this Act.33. Detention and arrest
34. Penalties
35. Award of part of fine to informers
Where a fine is inflicted the magistrate may award any portion thereof, not exceeding one-half, to the person, not being a public officer or an Inspector appointed under section 4, upon whose information the conviction has been obtained.36. Report by Veterinary Officer to be evidence
In a prosecution for an offence under this Act a report signed by a Veterinary Officer as to the presence of disease in any animal or thing examined by him may be accepted as evidence unless the court considers his attendance necessary or the accused person desires that the officer shall attend as a witness and the court considers his attendance necessary.37. Burden of proof
When the owner of any animal suffering from disease is charged with an offence under this Act or of any regulation made thereunder, he shall be presumed to have known of the existence of such disease in the animal unless he satisfies the court that he had no such knowledge and could not, with reasonable diligence, have obtained such knowledge.History of this document
31 July 2002 this version
Consolidation
01 August 1940
Commenced
Documents citing this one 2
Gazette 1
1. | Tanzania Government Gazette dated 2013-10-11 number 41 |
Judgment 1
1. | Sinjore Ngeseyan Laizer and Another vs DPP and Another (Criminal Revision 1 of 2022) [2022] TZHC 11111 (22 July 2022) |