Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the PRC — Full English Translation (2021 Amendment)

Adopted at the 26th Session of the Standing Committee of the 8th National People’s Congress on July 3, 1997

Amended for the first time in accordance with the Decision on Amending Certain Laws adopted at the 10th Session of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People’s Congress on August 28, 2004

Amended for the second time in accordance with the Decision on Amending Certain Laws adopted at the 29th Session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress on October 24, 2013

Amended for the third time in accordance with the Decision on Amending the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the People’s Republic of China adopted at the 25th Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress on January 22, 2021

Effective: May 1, 2021

Table of Contents

Chapter I — General Provisions

Article 1 — This Law is enacted for the purposes of strengthening the administration of animal epidemic prevention activities, preventing, controlling, exterminating and eradicating animal epidemics, promoting the development of the animal husbandry industry, preventing and controlling zoonotic infectious diseases, and safeguarding public health security and human health.

Article 2 — This Law shall apply to animal epidemic prevention and supervision activities within the territory of the People’s Republic of China. The entry and exit animal and plant quarantine shall be governed by the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine.

Article 3 — For the purposes of this Law, animals refer to livestock, poultry, and other animals that are artificially raised or lawfully captured. Animal products refer to animal-derived meat, raw hides, raw wool, raw feathers, raw fleece, raw down, raw hides, viscera, fats, milk, eggs, semen, embryos, and other products that may transmit animal diseases.

Article 4 — The State shall implement the principle of giving priority to prevention in animal epidemic prevention work, combining prevention with control and extermination, and adopting comprehensive measures to prevent, control, exterminate and eradicate animal epidemics.

Article 5 — The department of agriculture and rural affairs of the State Council shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of animal epidemic prevention throughout the country. The departments of agriculture and rural affairs of the local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of animal epidemic prevention within their respective administrative regions.

Article 6 — Entities and individuals engaged in animal raising, slaughtering, trading, isolation, transportation, and the production, processing, and trading of animal products shall fulfill animal epidemic prevention obligations and bear animal epidemic prevention responsibilities in accordance with law.

Chapter II — Prevention and Control of Animal Epidemics

Article 7 — The State shall implement a compulsory immunization program for animal epidemics that cause serious damage to the animal husbandry industry and human health. Entities and individuals raising animals shall fulfill compulsory immunization obligations in accordance with law.

Article 8 — Animal raising premises shall meet the animal epidemic prevention conditions prescribed by the State and shall comply with laws and administrative regulations on environmental protection.

Article 9 — Entities and individuals engaged in animal raising shall establish animal epidemic prevention systems, carry out immunization, disinfection, and other prevention work, and keep animal epidemic prevention records.

Article 10 — The introduction of breeding stock and poultry across provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall comply with the provisions of the State and shall be subject to quarantine.

Article 11 — Veterinary drugs and feed shall comply with animal epidemic prevention requirements. The use of veterinary drugs and feed additives shall comply with the provisions of the State and veterinary drug prescriptions.

Chapter III — Reporting, Notification and Publication of Animal Epidemics

Article 12 — Entities and individuals engaged in animal epidemic monitoring, testing, quarantine, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as animal raising, slaughtering, trading, isolation, and transportation, shall immediately report to the local department of agriculture and rural affairs or animal disease prevention and control institution upon discovering that an animal has contracted or is suspected of having contracted an epidemic disease.

Article 13 — Any entity or individual shall have the right to report to the relevant department any failure to fulfill animal epidemic prevention duties in accordance with law. The relevant department shall handle the report in a timely manner.

Article 14 — The State shall establish a notification system for animal epidemic information. The department of agriculture and rural affairs of the State Council shall timely notify animal epidemics to the relevant departments and local authorities.

Article 15 — The State shall establish an animal epidemic publication system. The department of agriculture and rural affairs of the State Council shall be responsible for publishing animal epidemic information to the public.

Chapter IV — Control and Extermination of Animal Epidemics

Article 16 — Upon the occurrence of a major animal epidemic, the relevant departments of the State Council shall, in accordance with relevant State provisions, promptly delimit epidemic points, epidemic areas, and threatened areas, investigate the source of the epidemic, and take measures such as blockading, isolating, culling, destroying, disinfecting, and emergency immunization.

Article 17 — For animals within the epidemic area that have contracted or are suspected of having contracted an epidemic disease, measures such as isolation, culling, and destruction shall be taken in accordance with law. Animal products and related articles contaminated or potentially contaminated shall be destroyed.

Article 18 — During the blockade of an epidemic area, the movement of animals and animal products and related articles out of the epidemic area shall be prohibited, and the entry and exit of vehicles and personnel shall be restricted.

Article 19 — Where compulsory culling is required for the control and extermination of an animal epidemic, the local people’s government at or above the county level shall provide compensation in accordance with the provisions of the State.

Chapter V — Animal and Animal Product Quarantine

Article 20 — The State shall implement an animal and animal product quarantine system. Animals and animal products sold, transported, or used for scientific research, exhibition, performance, competition, or other purposes shall be accompanied by quarantine certificates and quarantine marks.

Article 21 — Animal quarantine shall be conducted by official veterinarians of animal health supervision institutions in accordance with law. Official veterinarians shall issue quarantine certificates and apply quarantine marks to animals and animal products that have passed quarantine.

Article 22 — Animals and animal products imported into areas free of specified animal diseases shall be subject to special quarantine and epidemic prevention measures in accordance with the provisions of the State.

Article 23 — The transportation of animals and animal products shall comply with animal epidemic prevention requirements. Means of transportation shall be cleaned and disinfected before and after loading and unloading.

Chapter VI — Disposal of Diseased and Dead Animals

Article 24 — Where an animal dies of disease or dies from an unknown cause during the course of raising, transporting, slaughtering, or processing, the entity or individual concerned shall, in accordance with the provisions of the State, report to the local department of agriculture and rural affairs and shall carry out harmless treatment. The entity or individual may neither dispose of, sell, or process such diseased or dead animals at will.

Article 25 — The harmless treatment of diseased and dead animals shall comply with the technical specifications prescribed by the State to ensure safety and prevent the spread of epidemics and environmental pollution.

Chapter VII — Supervision and Administration

Article 26 — Animal health supervision institutions shall, in accordance with law, exercise supervision and inspection over entities and individuals engaged in animal raising, slaughtering, trading, isolation, transportation, and the production, processing, and trading of animal products.

Article 27 — When performing animal epidemic prevention supervision and inspection duties, official veterinarians may take the following measures:

(1) To inspect animals and animal products and take samples as required;

(2) To consult, duplicate, or photograph documents and materials relating to animal epidemic prevention; and

(3) To conduct inspection and disinfection of means of transportation and articles relating to animal epidemic prevention.

Chapter VIII — Legal Liability

Article 28 — Where an entity or individual, in violation of this Law, commits any of the following acts, the department of agriculture and rural affairs shall order rectification and impose a fine:

(1) Failing to carry out compulsory immunization of animals in accordance with law;

(2) Transporting animals and animal products without quarantine certificates or quarantine marks;

(3) Failing to dispose of diseased and dead animals through harmless treatment in accordance with provisions; and

(4) Other acts violating animal epidemic prevention provisions.

Article 29 — Where a violation of this Law constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with law. Where damage is caused to another person, civil liability for compensation shall be borne in accordance with law.

Article 30 — Where local people’s governments at all levels and their staff members fail to perform animal epidemic prevention duties in accordance with this Law, sanctions shall be imposed in accordance with law on the directly responsible person in charge and other directly responsible persons.

Chapter IX — Supplementary Provisions

Article 31 — The animal epidemic prevention work in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region shall be governed by the relevant laws of the respective Special Administrative Regions.

Article 32 — This Law shall be effective as of May 1, 2021. The Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the People’s Republic of China adopted on July 3, 1997, amended on August 28, 2004, October 24, 2013, and April 24, 2015 shall be repealed simultaneously.