Animal Pathogens
- An 'Animal Pathogen' means:
Any collection of organisms or any derivative of such, which may cause disease in cattle, sheep, goats or other ruminants, horses, swine, domestic fowls, turkeys, geese, ducks, guinea fowls, pheasants, partridges or quail.
Any living creature except man, which may carry or transmit an animal pathogen or the tissue, cell culture, body fluid excreta carcase or parts of carcase of such creature by or by means of which an animal pathogen may be carried or transmitted.
The Importation of Animal Pathogens Order 1980 (as amended) prohibits the importation into Great Britain from outside the European Union of animal pathogens or carriers without a licence issued by the Scottish Ministers.
The licence stipulates the conditions under which the pathogen or carrier must be handled and the type of containment necessary while in Great Britain. The purpose of these conditions is to protect the British livestock and poultry industries from infection by pathogens knowingly or unwittingly imported into Great Britain from outside the EEC. The Order has no application to any animal pathogen or carrier contained in a licensed medicinal product, the importation of which is permitted under the Medicines Act 1968 or to importations made from other European Community Member States.
An animal pathogen may also be covered by the Specified Animal Pathogens (Scotland) Order 2009. Importers are advised to check this before applying for an import licence.
This prohibits any person from having in their possession any specified animal pathogen listed in Part I of the Schedule or any carrier in which he/she knows such a pathogen is present, and from introducing into any animal any pathogen listed in the schedule, except under the authority of a licence issued by the Scottish Ministers.
The purpose of the Order is to prevent the spread in Great Britain of specified animal pathogens which are not endemic and which if released, would cause serious disease and economic loss to the livestock industry. The order has no application to any animal pathogen or carrier contained in licensed veterinary or human medicines.
The Order also requires that if any person has in their possession anything in which they have reasonable grounds for believing that a specified pathogen may be present and they do not hold a licence to handle that pathogen, they must notify a veterinary inspector immediately.
Specified animal pathogen means an animal pathogen listed in the link below and includes:
(a) intact pathogens
(b) pathogens which have been attenuated or genetically modified by any means; and
(c) any nucleic acid derived from an animal pathogen listed which could produce that pathogen when introduced into a biological system in which it is capable of replicating.
You should note that you may also need to apply for an import licence if the specified animal pathogen is to be imported from a third country. Guidance on the importation of animal pathogens is given in a separate section.
Pathogens requiring a licence for possession or introduction into an animal can be viewed at the list of Specified Pathogens