November 2008
Amendment of the Ministerial Ordinance
of the Domestic Animal Infectious Disease Control Law
Prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan
- Background
The birds designated in Paragraph 1, Article 2, the Domestic Animal Infectious Disease Control Law (Law No.166 of 1951, hereinafter referred to as “the Law”) and Article 1, the Enforcement Ordinanceof the Law (Government Ordinance No.235 of 1953) are subject to domestic control programsin order to controlhighly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Japan, whilethe designated items subject to quarantineinspection are providedfor in Article 45of the Ordinance of the Law (Ministerial Ordinance No. 35 of 1951, referred to as “the Ministerial Ordinance”)in order to prevent the invasion of HPAI into Japan.
Pheasants and guinea fowls in Japan will be subject to domestic control programs from late December 2008. They will be subject to import quarantine control and be added to the designateditems.
- Objective of the amendment of the Ordinance
Pheasant, guinea fowls and their products will be addedto the designated items subject to quarantine inspection provided by the Ministerial Ordinancein order to prevent the invasion of infectious diseases of birds such as HPAI through those imported items.
- Outline of the amendments
The major points of the amendments of the Ministerial Ordinance arethe following:
To add pheasant, guinea fowl and their products such as eggs, bones, meat, fat, blood, skin, feathers, tendons, organs, semen, feces, urine etc.to the designated items in Article 45;
To add pheasant and guinea fowl to animals which require notifications 40-70 days prior to the arrival as designated itemsin Article 47-2; and
To add pheasant and guinea fowls to animals subject to quarantine inspection in accordance with Article 50.
Proposed date of adoption: possibly January 2009
Proposed date of application:1 March 2009