CAP. 148, ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS) ACT BELIZE

ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS) ACT CHAPTER 148

REVISED EDITION 2000 SHOWING THE LAW AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2000

This is a revised edition of the law, prepared by the Law Revision Commissioner under the authority of the Law Revision Act, Chapter 3 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 1980 - 1990.

This edition contains a consolidation of the following laws- Page

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 3

ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS) ACT 4 Amendments in force as at 31st December, 2000.

BELIZE

ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS) ACT CHAPTER 148

REVISED EDITION 2000 SHOWING THE LAW AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2000

This is a revised edition of the law, prepared by the Law Revision Commissioner under the authority of the Law Revision Act, Chapter 3 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 1980 - 1990.

This edition contains a consolidation of the following laws- Page

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 3

ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS) ACT 4 Amendments in force as at 31st December, 2000.

THE SUBSTANTIVE LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2000 Printed by the Government Printer,



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CHAPTER 148

ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS)

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1. Short title.

2. Interpretation.

3. Licensee.

4. Only licensees to experiment.

5. Experiments not to be performed for purpose of attaining manual

skill.

6. Prohibition of performance of experiments.

7. Restrictions upon performances of experiments by licensee.

8. Teaching permits.

9. Special permits.

10. Records and inspections.

11. Returns.

12. Regulations.

13. Revocation of licence or permit.

14. Offences.

15. Restriction on prosecution of licensee.

CHAPTER 148

ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS)

[31st August, 1957]

1. This Act may be cited as the Animals (Control of Experiments) Act.

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:-

“animal” means a living vertebrate animal;

“experiment” means an experiment performed on an animal and calculated to cause pain thereto;

“licensee” means a person licensed under section 3 of this Act.

3.-(1) The Minister may grant a licence to any person to perform any ex- periment for any purpose specified in such licence during such period and subject to such conditions in addition to the conditions specified in this Act as he may think fit.

(2) It shall be a condition of any licence granted under subsection (1), that any experiment performed pursuant to such licence shall be performed at such place as may be specified in such licence.

4.-(1) No person except a licensee shall perform any experiment.

(2) No licensee shall perform any experiment except in accordance with the terms of this licence and subject to the restrictions imposed by this Act.

Ch. 130, R.L., 1958. CAP. 114, R.E. 1980-1990. 40 of 1963. 1 of 1969.

Short title.

Interpretation.

Licensee. 40 of 1963.

Only licensees to experiment.

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5. No licensee shall perform any experiment for the purpose of attaining manual skill.

6. No licensee shall perform any experiment for the purpose of illustrating any lecture at any hospital, school or any other academic institution unless he is the holder of a teaching permit under this Act and unless the experiment is of a class specified in such permit and is performed in accordance with the terms of such permit.

7.-(1) Except as otherwise provided in section 6 of this Act, no licensee shall perform any experiment except-

(a) for the purpose of the advancement by new discovery of physiological knowledge, or of any knowledge which will be useful for saving or prolonging life, or alleviating suffering, or for combating any disease whether of human beings, animals or plants;

(b) for the purpose of testing any former discovery alleged to have been made for the advancement of the types of knowledge referred to in paragraph (a) of this subsection;

(c) by the order in writing of any Judge of the Supreme Court in any case where such Judge is satisfied that it is essential for the purpose of justice in a criminal case to make such experiment.

(2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3), no licensee shall per- form any experiment unless-

(a) throughout the whole of the experiment the animal is under the influence of some anaesthetic of sufficient power to prevent the

Experiments not to be performed for purpose of attaining manual skill.

Prohibition of performance of experiments.

Restrictions upon performances of experiments by licensee.

animal feeling pain; and

(b) if the pain is likely to continue after the effect of the anaesthetic has ceased, or if any serious injury has been in- flicted on the animal, the animal is killed before it recovers from the influence of the anaesthetic which has been ad- ministered.

(3) The provisions of subsection (2) shall not apply to any licensee who is the holder of a special permit granted under section 9 of this Act in relation to any experiment specified in such special permit.

8.-(1) Where the Director of Health Services is satisfied that it is absolutely necessary for the due instruction of persons attending any course of lectures for the purpose of acquiring physiological knowledge of any knowledge which will be used for saving or prolonging life, or alleviating suffering, or for com- bating any disease whether of human beings, animals or plants, for any such lecture to be illustrated by the performance of any experiment, the Director of Health Services may grant to a licensee under this Act a teaching permit to perform any experiment specified in such licence for the purpose of illustrating such lecture.

(2) Every teaching permit under this section shall be subject to such con- ditions in addition to any conditions specified in this Act as may be specified in such permit, and such permit shall remain in force for twelve months from the date on which it is granted.

9.-(1) Where the Director of Health Services is satisfied that the object of any experiment permitted to be performed by a licensee under this Act would necessarily be frustrated-

(a) by the performance of such experiment under any anaesthetic; or

Teaching permits. S.I. 21 of 1962.

Special permits.

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(b) by killing the animal on which such experiment is performed before it recovers from the influence of any anaesthetic, he may grant a special permit authorising the licensee to perform such experiment without administering any anaesthetic to the animal or without killing the animal before it recovers from the influence of such anaesthetic, as the case may be.

(2) Any special permit under this section shall specify the period for which it shall remain in force.

10.-(1) Every licensee under this Act shall keep, in such form as may be pre- scribed, records of all experiments performed by him.

(2) Every licensee under this Act shall permit any person authorised in writing by the Director of Health Services to inspect any records kept by him at any time between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on any day other than a Sunday or public or bank holiday.

(3) Every licensee under this Act shall permit any person authorised in writing as aforesaid to enter and inspect, for the purpose of securing compli- ance with the provisions of this Act, any place specified in such licensee’s li- cence for the performance of experiments.

11. Every licensee shall render to the Director of Health Services in such form and at such time as may be prescribed, such returns as may be required in relation to any experiments performed by him.

12.-(1) The Minister may make regulations generally for the better carrying out of the provisions of this Act.

(2) Regulations made under this section may, without prejudice to the generality of the power conferred by subsection (1), provide-

(a) the form in which records of experiments performed by any

Records and inspections.

Returns.

Regulations.

licensee under this Act shall be kept;

(b) the form and time within which returns may be rendered in relation to any experiments performed under this Act.

13. It shall be a condition of every licence or permit granted under this Act that such licence or permit may be revoked at any time by the person granting it on his being satisfied that such licence or permit ought to be revoked.

14. Any person who contravenes the provisions of sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11 of this Act commits an offence against this Act and upon summary conviction shall be liable to a fine of five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both such fine and term of imprison- ment.

15. No prosecution under this Act against a licensee shall be instituted except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

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Revocation of licence or permit.

Offences.

Restriction on prosecution of licensee. 1 of 1969.