Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires“agricultural health services” includes plant health, animal health and veterinary and quarantine services and registration; “animal” includes cattle, buffalo, horses, mules, asses, sheep, swine, goats, dogs, cats, birds, poultry, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, eggs of any kind and all animals of whatever kind, be they genetically engineered or altered or otherwise, whether similar to the foregoing or not; “animal disease” includes anthrax, avian influenza, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, brucellosis, contagious bovine pleuro pneumonia, equine encephalomyelitis, equine infectious anaemia, epizootic abortion, foot and mouth disease, glanders and farcy, haemorrhagic septicaemia, infectious laryngotracheitis, mange ovine (commonly called sheep scab), melitensis infection (commonly called Malta fever), newcastle disease (commonly called fowl pest or fowl plague), paralytic rabies (bat transmitted), psittacosis, rabies, rinderpest, sarcoptic mange in horse, scrapie, swine erysipelas, swine fever (including African swine fever and hog cholera), tuberculosis, trypanosomiases (including dourine, mal de caderas, surra and trypanosoma vivax infection), variola ovina, variola vaccinia, Belize Agricultural Health Authority [CAP. 211 9 and such other diseases as the Minister may from time to time by Order declare to be animal diseases within the meaning of this Act; “animal product” means the derivatives of animals, be they genetically engineered or altered or otherwise, destined for human or animal consumption or for pharmaceutical, agricultural, industrial or domestic use; “Authority” means the Belize Agricultural Health Authority established under section 3; “bee disease” includes Acariasis of bees, American foul brood, European foul brood, Nosema of bees, and Varroasis and such other diseases as the Minister may from time to time by Order declare to be bee diseases within the meaning of this Act; “biological” includes any substance commonly known as antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, hormones, vaccines, sera, toxins, anti-toxins, antigens and micro-organisms and parts of micro-organisms living or killed or any other biological substance which is intended solely for use in the practice of veterinary medicine, and includes germplasm of animals for use in artificial insemination, and embryo transfer; “Board” means the Board established under section 10; “carcass” means the carcass of any animal, and includes any part of the carcass or of the meat, bones, hide, skin, hoofs, horns, offal or other part of an animal; “carrier” includes any vehicle, ship, aircraft or any other means of transportation by which plants, planting materials, plant products, fruits and vegetables, pests, soil, animals, animal products and any other non- plant articles are moved from one place to another; “cattle” includes bulls, cows, oxen, steers, heifers and calves; "Chairperson” means the Chairperson of the Board of Directors; 10 “defined port” means a port as defined by any Regulations made under section 6; “designated officer” means an Officer of the Authority designated by the Authority under this Act; “diseased” means affected with disease; “disinfection” means the utilization of any approved substance or process designed to prevent, eliminate or reduce any pest or micro-organisms with which plants or animals, or parts of plant or animal products, may be affected; “feed” means grass, hay or any other plant or animal substance commonly used as food for animals; “fish” includes all or any of the varieties of marine or fresh water animals, by whatever description called; “fish disease” includes Bonamiosis, Epizootic haematopoletic necrosis, Haplosporidosis, Infectious haematopoietic necrosis, Iridovirosis, Marteiliosis, Mickocytosis (Mikrocytos mackini), Oncorrhynchus masou virus disease, Perkinosis, Spring viraemia of Carp, Taura syndrome, Viral haemorraghic septicaemia, and such other disease as the Minister may from time to time by Order declare to be a fish disease within the meaning of this Act; “fruits and vegetables” means all edible portions of food plants in the raw or unprocessed state; “Government” means the Government of Belize; “import” means bringing into Belize by any means whatever; “infected area” means an area declared as such under section 55; “infected place” means a place declared as such under section 54; Belize Agricultural Health Authority [CAP. 211 11 “insect” includes members of the class Insecta and of the class Arachnida; “litter” means straw or any other substance commonly used as the bedding for, or otherwise used for or about, animals; “live beneficial organism” means any plant, animal or micro- organism in a living state which is used in the control or destruction of a pest; CAP. 228. “mail” has the meaning assigned to it in the Post Office Act; “Managing Director” means the Managing Director appointed pursuant to section 8 (1); “Minister” means the Minister responsible for Agriculture; “Ministry” means the Ministry responsible for Agriculture; “notifiable plant pest” means any plant pest of substantial economic importance not already considered a quarantine pest for which measures may be taken for its eradication or control to prevent its further spread; “nursery” means any land or place whereon any plant intended for sale or distribution as planting material is grown or kept; “occupier” in relation to any land or building, means the person in actual occupation thereof or, if there is no such person, the owner of such land or building; “officer” means an officer designated by the Authority under section 26 or 52; “owner”, in relation to any land, means the person who for the time being is receiving the rent of the land in connection with which the word is used, whether on his own account or as agent or representative for any other person, or who would so receive the same if the land were let for rent; 12 “package” means any container, box, covering wrapper or anything whatever in which plants, animals, plant products, animal products or biologicals are or have been, are capable of being imported, kept or conveyed from one point to another; “phytosanitary certificate” means a certificate as set out in Schedule I; Schedule I. “plant disease” includes Aster yellows (virus), Avocado sunblotch (viroid), Bacterial Blight (Xanthomonas spp.), Bacterial leaf-streak of rice (Xanthomonas campestris pv. oryzicola), Bacterialilt of Anthurium (Xanthoinonas campestri’s pv. dleffenLach1 .ae), Banana bunchy top (virus), Cadang cadang (viroid), Cedros Wilt of Coconut (Phytomonasta I]ell), Chrysnthemum stunt (viroid), Clavibacter michiganensis sUbsp. michiganensis, Cucumber green mottle (virus), Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. laccun ~ faciens, Downy mildew of sorghum (Peronscierospora sorghi), Dry rot of maize (Stenocarpella maydis), Leafspot of maize (Cochliobolus carbonum), Melon necrotic spot (virus), Monilia Pod Rot of Cacao (Monlliophthora roreri), Phoma exigua var. foveata, Potato wart (Synchytrium endobioticum), Potato spindle tuber (viroid), Potato virus T (virus),(Pucccinia horiana), Rust of onions (Puccinia aihi), Stolbur (virus), Stubborn disease (spiroplasm ), Tomato ringspot (virus), Witch’s Broom of Cacao ( Crinipellis perniciosa), and such other diseases as the Minister may from time to time by Order declare to be plant diseases within the meaning of this Act; “planting material” includes trees, shrubs, vines, cuttings, grafts, scions, buds, bulbs, roots, seeds or any other plant, be it genetically engineered, altered or otherwise, capable of being propagated or cultured from tissue; “plant pest” means any living stage in any insect, mite, nematode, slug, snail, protozoa, animal, bacterium, fungus, parasitic plant or any reproductive part thereof, virus, Belize Agricultural Health Authority [CAP. 211 13 phytoplasma, or any organism capable of causing damage to any plant or plant product; “plant product” means any substance, material or article of vegetable origin, including pollen, processed or unprocessed, be it genetically engineered, altered or otherwise, which is capable of harbouring or transporting plant pests; “quarantine pest” means a pest of potential national economic importance to Belize– (a) not yet present in Belize; (b) which is present in Belize but not yet firmly established; or (c) which is established in Belize but is actively being controlled; “restricted article” includes any planting material, fruit, vegetable, plant product, plant pest, live beneficial organism or soil, likely to result in the entry or spread of plant pests or diseases or any other article which is designated by the Authority, by Order published in the Gazette, as a restricted “soil” means the loose surface materials of the earth in which plants grow, in most cases consisting of disintegrated rock with an admixture of organic materials and soluble salts, or any other medium in which plants grow or can be propagated; “suspected” means suspected of being diseased or contaminated with chemicals or poisons. 14