Rules to prevent and control animal diseases in Spain

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1. The law sets the basic rules to prevent, control and eradicate animal diseases, and to keep diseases from entering Spain from abroad.
2. Anyone who becomes aware of a serious animal disease outbreak must report it to the competent authority, within 24 hours at most for diseases that must be reported.
3. Animal owners and keepers must watch over their animals, identify them, not abandon them, report births and deaths, properly dispose of carcasses and cover the costs of any health measures imposed on them.
4. Faced with a serious disease, the authorities can ban animal movements, order mandatory culling, close markets and slaughterhouses or suspend livestock fairs.
5. If animals are culled on the authority's orders, the owner is entitled to compensation, but only if they have complied with animal health rules.
6. Animals must be identified under a single national system, and farms must be registered in their autonomous community with an up-to-date farm record book.
7. Offenses are classified as minor, serious or very serious, with fines from €600 to €1,200,000, plus secondary penalties such as closing the farm or losing subsidies.
8. Inspectors have the status of authority: they can enter farms and vehicles without prior notice, take samples and check documents, and those inspected must cooperate.

Who it affects

• Livestock farmers and animal owners: They must monitor, identify and report data on their animals, comply with health measures and can be fined if they do not.
• Importers and exporters: Their goods may only pass through authorized border inspection posts, they pay the corresponding fees and they cover the costs of health measures.
• Animal transporters: They need authorization, must carry documentation and must clean and disinfect vehicles after each unloading.
• Slaughterhouses and animal gathering centers: They must have a responsible veterinarian, entry and exit records and cleaning and disinfection centers.
• Laboratories and veterinarians: Only designated laboratories can diagnose certain diseases, and veterinarians who issue certificates are accountable for what they sign.

Words worth knowing

Epizootia

A contagious animal disease that spreads quickly and notably in an area.

Zoonosis

A disease that spreads from animals to people, and the other way around.

Productos zoosanitarios

Products used to diagnose, prevent or treat animal diseases; they include veterinary medicines.

Integración

A contract where a company supplies the animals and feed, and the farmer provides the farm, the work and the care.

Rastreo

Placing healthy animals on a farm that was infected, to check that the disease agent is no longer there.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries