Administrative fines and penalties

(1) Any passenger who makes a false declaration on a Customs Declaration Form, pertaining to the importation of plants, animals and their products and by-products, shall be liable to an administrative fine of one hundred dollars (BZ$100.00). Belize Agricultural Health Authority [CAP. 211 29 (2) Where an importer of a regulated commodity or product fails to produce an import permit for such regulated commodity or products prescribed under regulation 6, in the presence of supporting documents, such as Sanitary Certificate, Phytosanitary Certificate and/or Certificate of Origin, he shall be liable to an administrative penalty of two hundred dollars per consignment in addition to an inspection fee of one hundred dollars. (3) Where an importer of a regulated commodity or product fails to produce supporting documents in the presence of an import permit for such regulated commodity or product, such failure shall result in immediate detention of the commodity or product for inspection and the following administrative fines shall be imposed and paid before the commodity or product is released to the importerType of commodity Fee BZ $ (a) commercial quantity 200.00 per consignment plus inspection fee and risk analysis fee; (b) non-commercial quantity 25.00 per consignment plus inspection fee and risk analysis fee; (c) Commodity requiring only 200 per consignment plus 50.00 inspection fee. food safety inspection (4) Where a person attempts to import a commodity or product without an original import permit and original supporting documents from a country or region whose pest or disease status is of importance to Belize (as certified by the Authority), such commodity or product shall be detained and shall not be released unless original supporting documents in respect of such commodity or product are presented to the Quarantine Inspector. (5) Where, for some unknown reason, original copies cannot be produced as prescribed under subregulation (4) above, then 30 fax copies from the Competent Authority of the importing country will be accepted by the Authority provided that such documents are faxed directly from the competent Authority of the exporting country to the Authority. Fax copies transmitted directly from the importers will not be accepted. (6) Where the documents presented under subregulations (4) or (5) are– (a) acceptable to the Authority, then the fees for the quarantine treatment as prescribed in regulations made therefor shall apply to the consignment; or (b) unacceptable to the Authority, then the consignment shall– (i) be refused entry into Belize and sent back to the country of origin; or (ii) confiscated and destroyed, at the expense of the owner or importer. (7) The Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, based in Central Farm Cayo District, is hereby designated as the official veterinary diagnostic laboratory for the purposes of these Regulations. (8) Any person who– (a) is found in illegal possession of any plant, plant product, plant by-product, animal, animal product, animal by-product, carcass, feed, litter, dung, biologicals or similar commodity; (b) breaks a quarantine seal; Belize Agricultural Health Authority [CAP. 211 31 (c) fails to inform a designated officer of scheduled arrivals of any conveyance coming from either an international port or airport within twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled arrival; (d) fails to allow the boarding of any conveyance for inspection to be conducted by a designated officer of the Authority; (e) boards any conveyance without the presence of a designated officer; (f) imports into Belize any commodity or product to which Parts VI and X of the Act do not apply, otherwise than under an import permit granted by the Authority; (g) contravenes or fails to comply with any of the provisions of any import permit referred to in paragraph (f), commits an offence. (9) Every person who commits an offence under subregulation (8) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not less than two thousand dollars but not exceeding five thousand dollars or to a period of imprisonment not exceeding two years, or to both such fine and period of imprisonment.