Rabies Act 1974
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1974 c. 17 |
Rabies Act 1974
1974 CHAPTER 17
An Act to make further provision for the prevention and control of rabies, and for connected purposes.
[23rd May 1974]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Infected areas—destruction of foxes and other wild mammals.
(1) An order under section 10 of the principal Act prescribing the cases in which areas are to be declared to be infected with rabies may include provision for the destruction in an area declared to be so infected, by persons authorised in accordance with the order, of foxes and such other wild mammals as may be prescribed by the order (not in either case being animals held in captivity).
(2) An order made by virtue of subsection (1) above may make provision for—
(a ) authorising any person to enter any land (other than a dwelling-house) for the purpose of carrying out, or of deciding whether to carry out, the destruction there of animals in accordance with the order;
(b ) authorising the erection of fences or other obstacles to restrict the movement of animals into and out of an area where destruction is carried out;
(c ) regulating the ownership and disposal of the carcases of animals destroyed in accordance with the order;
(d ) prohibiting any person from obstructing the destruction of animals in accordance with the order and from interfering with the carcases of animals destroyed;
(e ) authorising the use of methods of destruction which would otherwise be unlawful.
(3) An order made by virtue of subsection (1) above shall include provision as to the steps to be taken to inform the occupier of any land where it is proposed that animals should be destroyed, and other persons who may be there, of the proposal and of the methods of destruction to be used.
2 Infected areas—additional powers.
(1) An order under section 10 of the principal Act prescribing the cases in which areas are to be declared to be infected with rabies may include provision for—
(a ) requiring notice to be given, in such circumstances as may be prescribed by the order, of the death in an area declared to be so infected of such domestic or wild mammals as may be prescribed;
(b ) regulating the ownership and disposal of the carcases of animals whose deaths are required to be notified by virtue of paragraph (a ) above;
(c ) requiring and regulating the vaccination, confinement and control in such an area of such domestic mammals and mammals held in captivity as may be prescribed by the order;
(d ) authorising the seizure and detention and the disposal or destruction of any animal in respect of which any provision made by virtue of paragraph (c ) above is not complied with;
(e ) authorising any person to enter any land for the purpose of seizing or destroying any animal in pursuance of the order.
(2) An order under section 10 of the principal Act prescribing the cases in which areas are to be declared to be infected with rabies may provide for the division of an area into zones (whether defined by reference to distance from the places within the area where diseased animals have been found or otherwise) and for the consequences which may follow a declaration to be different for different zones.
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