Animal Health Act ([SBC 2014] Chapter 16).

The present Act enables the government to: 1) Apply effective control measures to a larger number of reportable and notifiable animal diseases ; 2) Inspect animals, animal products and by-products; 3) Protect certain data and information; 4) Make orders for the management of disease, or for the seizure and destruction of animals, animal products and by-products to control the spread of a disease; 5) License a variety of operators engaged in businesses that relate to animals, animal products or animal by-products; 6) Place greater accountability on persons responsible for animals to ensure that on-farm practices prevent the occurrence and spread of disease; 7) Work with industry and other governments to monitor animal health and to participate in health management research programmes. Under the Act "animal" means, subject to the regulations, (a)a species of the animal kingdom, and (b)any organism prescribed as an animal. The text consists of 119 sections divided into 9 Parts as follows: Interpretation and general requirements (1); Regulated activities (2); Records and information (3); Inspection and orders (4); Emergency powers (5); Animal health officials and other matters (6); Administrative Penalties, Offences and Sentencing (7); Regulations (8); Transitional Provisions, repeals and consequential amendments (9).
The Act contains several provisions on food health and safety; firstly the Act defines "animal product" as prescribed material, taken from the body of an animal, that is intended to be used for human consumption. They follow examples of measures, powers, mechanisms and best practice recommendations aimed at controlling the spread of diseases and of other contaminants from animals into food. For instance the Act recommends a "traceability system" a system designed to track the location or transport of animals but also animal products or byproducts. Moreover the Act prohibits slaughtering, destruction or disposal of (a)an animal or an animal product or byproduct the person knows to be, or has reason to believe may be, affected by a notifiable or reportable disease; (b)an animal the person knows has been, or has reason to believe may have been, administered medication, if the medication's withdrawal period, as indicated on the medication's packaging, has not yet expired; (c)an animal or an animal product or byproduct the person knows has been, or has reason to believe may have been, exposed to an environmental toxin that may be harmful to human health or the environment, regardless of whether the environmental toxin has been prescribed as a notifiable or reportable disease.