Health of Animals Act

Marginal note:Removal or destruction of unlawful imports

• 18 (1) An inspector or officer who has reasonable grounds to believe that an imported animal or thing has been imported in contravention of this Act or the regulations, is or could be affected or contaminated by a disease or toxic substance or is a vector or that a requirement imposed by or under the regulations in respect of an imported animal or thing has not been met may, by notice, whether the animal or thing is seized or not, order its owner or importer or the person having possession, care or control of it to remove it from Canada or, if removal is not possible, to dispose of it.

• Marginal note:Notice

  (2) The notice must either be delivered personally to the owner or importer of the animal or thing or to the person having possession, care or control of it or be sent by registered mail to the owner’s, importer’s or person’s address in Canada.

• Marginal note:Forfeiture

  (3) If the animal or thing is not removed from Canada, or disposed of, within the period specified in the notice — or, if no period was specified, within 90 days after the day on which the notice was delivered or sent — it is, despite subsection 45(1), forfeited to Her Majesty in right of Canada and may be disposed of as the Minister may direct.

• Marginal note:Suspension of application of subsection (3)

  (4) An inspector or officer may, for a period that he or she specifies, suspend the application of subsection (3) if he or she is satisfied that

  • (a) harm to human or animal health or, in the case of a veterinary biologic, to the environment is unlikely to result;

  • (b) the animal or thing will not be sold within that period;

  • (c) the measures that should have been taken for the animal or thing not to have been imported in contravention of a provision of this Act or the regulations will be taken within that period; and

  • (d) if the animal or thing does not meet the requirements of the regulations, it will be brought into compliance with the regulations within that period.

• Marginal note:Cancellation

  (5) An inspector or officer may cancel the notice if he or she is satisfied that

  • (a) harm to human or animal health or, in the case of a veterinary biologic, to the environment is unlikely to result;

  • (b) the animal or thing has not been sold within the period referred to in subsection (6);

  • (c) the measures referred to in paragraph (4)(c) were taken within that period; and

  • (d) if the animal or thing did not meet the requirements of the regulations when it was imported, it was brought into compliance with the regulations within that period.

• Marginal note:Period

  (6) The period for the purposes of subsection (5) is

  • (a) if the application of subsection (3) was suspended under subsection (4), the period of the suspension; and

  • (b) if the application of subsection (3) was not suspended, the period specified in the notice or, if no period was specified, the period that ends 90 days after the day on which the notice was delivered or sent.

• Marginal note:Non-forfeiture

  (7) Section 17 does not apply to the animal or thing that is required to be removed from Canada.