Regulations on measures against diseases and zoonotic agents in animals (Animal Health Regulations).

This Regulation, based on the Act relating to food production and food safety, seeks to promote good animal health and to contribute to good public health and animal welfare by regulating how diseases of animals should be prevented, controlled, restricted and eradicated. The Regulation provide with respect to measures against disease in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, bees and bumblebees. It also applies to measures against the transmission of infectious agents between such animals and between such animals and humans. The Regulation applies to Norwegian land and sea territory, Norwegian air and sea vessels, facilities on the Norwegian continental shelf and Svalbard.
The text of the Regulation is divide into 9 Chapters: Introductory provisions (I, 1-3); General preventive measures (II, 4-13) Vaccination (III 14-15); Inspection, sampling, monitoring and quarantine (IV 16-18); Restrictions on moving animals (V 19-26); General information on measures against diseases (VI 27-31); Special measures against certain A and B diseases (VII 32-33); Measures in zones (VIII 34-36); Final provisions (IX 37-40) The Text is completed by 7 Annexes: Vaccinations except for the prohibition in section 14, first paragraph, first sentence (I); Vaccinations exempt from the requirement for a permit in section 14, second paragraph, first sentence (II); National surveillance programs pursuant to section 17 (III); Notification obligation as part of the monitoring of TSE and brucellosis pursuant to section 18 Appendix (IV); TSE classes for sheep and goat under section 21 (V); Regions for moving sheep and goats under section 22 (VI); Requirements for testing of sheep and goats pursuant to section 23 (VII).
Chapter II concerns general measures to protect animal health and to prevent the spreading of diseases. The provisions of this Chapter concern, among other things, hygiene in animal keeping premises (reference is made to Regulation No. 247 of 2018 on measures regarding antibiotic resistent bacteria in pigs), knowledge regarding animal disease (including AMR), routine measures to be laid down in the infection control plan, data collection and record keeping regarding animal health by operators, animal keeping in national collection centers, transportation, creation of animal health regions. Companies or persons who import, trade, request or use vaccines must document necessary information on all imports, sales and uses. Such information shall be provided when the Norwegian Food Safety Authority requests it.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority and persons on behalf of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority may carry out inspections, take samples of animals, feed, fertilizers or other and carry out other animal studies when necessary to combat, monitor and map diseases, or to fulfil Norway's international obligations. This also applies in activities like handling and processing animal products. Animals coming from a herd that are not monitored through national programs for the diseases as described in Annex III shall not be moved to a monitored herd until the animal's infection status is examined and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has found the results of the study satisfactory. As part of the monitoring of TSE in cattle, deer and sheep and of brucellosis in cattle, the animal keeper, practicing veterinarian or animal carrier shall notify the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in accordance with Annex IV.
The Regulation prescribes in Chapter V certain minimum requirement for animal quarantine and places restrictions on the moving of circus animals, sheep and goats. Chapter VI specifies general measures that must be taken in case of occurrence of a A animal disease, in case of a B animal disease, or in case of a C animal disease (as classified by the Annexes to Regulation No. 1841 of 19 December 2014). These measures may also affect material coming into contact with animals or products originating from animals.