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OrdinanceHealthAdministrative Law

Animal Diseases Ordinance [New Version], 5745-1985

פקודת מחלות בעלי חיים [נוסח חדש], תשמ"ה-1985

Published: 1985-04-08Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-06-17 · Last amended 2023-08-02✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-15
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Chapter I: Interpretation

Definitions [2(1)]§

1.

In this Ordinance –

"owner" – in relation to an animal, carcase, litter, dung or fodder – any person who is:

(1)the owner thereof, wholly or partially, or who represents himself as such;
(2)the agent of such a person;
(3)the holder thereof or a person who has a beneficial interest therein, control or supervision over them, or authority to deal with them;
(4)a person who permits them to live on his premises, or to be or to remain thereon, as the case may be;
(5)the occupier of premises, the driver of a vehicle, the master of a vessel or the commander of an aircraft in which they are found, unless he proves that another person in Israel is the owner thereof;

and all of the foregoing except a government veterinarian or an inspector acting in the exercise of their authority;

"animal" – an animal of the animals listed in the First Schedule;

"carcase" – the carcase of an animal, including a part of a carcase, and the meat, bones, hide and skin, hooves, horns, wool, offal or any other part of an animal;

"implementation provisions" – Regulations made under this Ordinance, and also Orders, directions, prohibitions or conditions given or imposed under this Ordinance or under Regulations made thereunder;

"killing" – including slaughter, and in relation to poultry eggs – their destruction;

"disease" – a disease of the diseases listed in the Second Schedule and any contagious or hereditary disease of animals that may harm animals in Israel;

"district supervisor" – a person appointed by the Minister of Agriculture from among the employees of his Ministry as district supervisor for the purposes of this Ordinance;

"fodder" – hay, grain or any other material commonly used as food for animals;

"inspector" – a public servant appointed by the Minister of Agriculture as an inspector, and also a person appointed as inspector for the purposes of this Ordinance by the Director of Veterinary Services or by a person authorised by him in writing to do so;

"district officer" – a person appointed by the Minister of Agriculture from among the employees of his Ministry as district officer for the purposes of this Ordinance;

"veterinarian" – a holder of a licence under the Veterinary Surgeons Ordinance to practise veterinary medicine;

"government veterinarian" – a public servant appointed by the Minister of Agriculture as Director of Veterinary Services, as a government veterinarian or as an assistant government veterinarian, and any veterinarian who is an office holder in the State service whom the Director of Veterinary Services has declared by notice in Reshumot (Official Gazette) to be included in the term "government veterinarian" for the purposes of this Ordinance;

"litter" – straw or any other material commonly used as bedding or for other purposes for animals or in their surroundings.

Minister's Power to Amend the Schedules [2(2)]§

2.

The Minister of Agriculture may, by Order published in Reshumot (Official Gazette), add to or delete from the First and Second Schedules an animal or a disease, as the case may be.

Power of the Director of Veterinary Services to Amend the Schedules [2(3)]§

3.
(a)If the Director of Veterinary Services is of the opinion that the public interest requires it to be done urgently, he may, by Order published in Reshumot (Official Gazette), add to or delete from the First and Second Schedules an animal or a disease, as the case may be.
(b)The validity of such an Order shall expire at the end of ten days from the day on which it was published in Reshumot (Official Gazette); however, the Minister of Agriculture may, before the said period has elapsed, cancel or amend, by Order published in Reshumot (Official Gazette), any such Order of the Director of Veterinary Services.

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Chapter II: Measures for the Control of Diseases

Notification of Animal Disease and Isolation§

4.

A person in whose possession or under whose supervision there is an animal that is infected or that he suspects to be infected with a disease shall, as soon as possible, do all of the following –

(1)notify one of the following –
(a)where the animal is found within the boundaries of a municipality – the municipal veterinarian, and in the absence of one – the municipal secretary;
(b)where the animal is found within the boundaries of another local authority – the secretary of the authority or another official thereof whose duties are similar;
(c)where the animal is found in a settlement that has no local authority, or on its lands, or on tribal lands – the mukhtar, the head of the settlement, or the tribal sheikh;

or the nearest police officer or the district officer;

(2)keep the animal separately from animals that are not infected with the same disease or are not suspected of being infected with it;
(3)cause the animal to be tied up or confined;

where the person in whose possession or under whose supervision such an animal is found is travelling by sea, he shall notify the customs authorities upon arrival at a port in Israel, and if he is travelling by land – he shall notify the nearest police officer.

Transmission of Notification to a Government Veterinarian§

5.
(a)Every person referred to in section 4(1) and every veterinarian who has been notified that an animal is infected or suspected of being infected with a disease, or who has otherwise learnt of it, or who has become aware that a disease has spread or that there is a suspected mortality among animals, shall immediately notify the nearest government veterinarian.
(b)The government veterinarian may give directions and take such measures as may be necessary to ascertain the presence and nature of the disease, and upon being satisfied that a disease is present, shall report thereon to the Director of Veterinary Services.

Notification to Farmers§

6.

If a district officer is satisfied as to the existence of an animal disease in the district, he may take such measures as appear to him to be practicable to cause notification thereof to mukhtars, occupiers of farms and owners of animals in the vicinity.

Slaughter of Infected Animals§

7.

A government veterinarian may direct the owner of an animal infected with a disease to slaughter it or to cause it to be slaughtered, immediately or within a period specified by him; and the same applies where an animal has been in contact with such an animal, or where it has been otherwise exposed to infection or contamination from the disease, or where the veterinarian suspects it to be infected with the disease.

Disposal of the Carcase of an Infected Animal§

8.
(a)Where an animal has died of a disease or has been slaughtered pursuant to the directions of section 7, a district officer, a government veterinarian or an inspector may give directions concerning the burial, destruction or disposal of the carcase of the animal and of any litter, dung or fodder with which the said animal was in contact, or which were otherwise exposed to infection or contamination from its disease.
(b)Directions referred to in subsection (a) may specify that the action required thereunder shall be carried out immediately or within a period specified therein, and may permit the burial of the carcase in land occupied by the owner of the animal that is suitable for that purpose, or in land under public authority.

Examination, Treatment and Disinfection of Animals§

9.
(a)If a government veterinarian or an inspector considers it necessary or desirable to do so in order to prevent the spread of a disease, he may direct the owner of an animal to carry out an examination, vaccination or other treatment, permanent or other marking, dipping, spraying, washing or other disinfection of the animal, or to keep it in quarantine for a period specified in the direction.
(b)A government veterinarian may prohibit any person from killing an animal that is undergoing treatment under subsection (a), or under the treatment of a veterinarian, or under other veterinary treatment, or that is in a quarantine period, and he may likewise prohibit the use of any product derived from such an animal, including milk, for such period as he sees fit to direct, or may permit such killing or use subject to such conditions as he sees fit.

Disinfection of Premises and Objects§

10.
(a)A government veterinarian or an inspector may direct the owner or occupier of a place or building in which an infected animal was or is kept, or which he suspects to be infected with a disease, to clean or disinfect the place or building, or to cause it to be done, in the manner and within the time specified by him.
(b)A government veterinarian or an inspector may direct the owner of an object that has been used for the purposes of an animal referred to in subsection (a) or in its surroundings, or for the transport thereof or of anything derived therefrom, or a person who has possession or control of such an object, to clean or disinfect the object, or to cause it to be done, in the manner and within the time specified by him.
(c)If a government veterinarian is of the opinion that the condition of a place, building or object referred to in subsections (a) and (b) is such that cleaning or disinfecting it would not avail to prevent the spread of a disease, he may –
(1)prohibit the owner or occupier of the place or building from keeping animals therein, or from permitting another person to do so, for such period as he may deem fit;
(2)prohibit the owner, holder or person in control of the object from using it for the purposes of an animal or in its surroundings, or from transporting it or transporting anything derived therefrom, or from permitting another person to do so, for such period as he may deem fit;
(3)make an act referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) subject to such conditions as he may deem fit.

Power to Carry Out Examinations§

11.

A government veterinarian may, for the purpose of detecting or diagnosing a disease, take or cause to be taken, from any animal or carcase, blood smears or any other sample, or may perform or cause to be performed a test thereon, as he may deem necessary.

Prohibition of Exhibition, Sale and Slaughter§

12.

The Director of Veterinary Services may, for the purpose of preventing the spread of a disease, prohibit the exhibition of animals in any place, their sale in a market or in a private sale yard, their slaughter for food, or the sale of their carcases, in any place, and may permit such acts subject to conditions as he may deem fit.

Power of Entry§

13.
(a)A district officer, a government veterinarian or an inspector may enter any place, building, vehicle, vessel or aircraft in which there is or in which there is a suspicion that there is an animal, carcase, litter, dung or fodder, and carry out an examination therein –
(1)to ascertain that there is no sick animal therein, or any animal, carcase, litter, dung or fodder that may transmit a disease;
(2)to ascertain whether this Ordinance or implementation provisions have been contravened.
(b)A veterinarian employed by a municipality or local council, and any person authorised in writing to do so by the district supervisor, generally or specially, may enter any place, building, vehicle, vessel or aircraft in which there are, or in which there is a suspicion that there are, cattle or poultry within the meaning of the First Schedule, or their carcases, and carry out an examination therein to ascertain whether the provisions of this Ordinance or implementation provisions have been contravened in respect of their slaughter and the sale of their carcases.

Power of Inspection§

14.

Where the owner of an animal, carcase, litter, dung or fodder is required by a district officer, a government veterinarian or an inspector to submit them for inspection, he shall do so at the place and within the time directed by them.

General Powers§

15.
(a)A person authorised under this Ordinance to direct that something be done may, instead, do it himself or cause it to be done.
(b)Where a person is required, under this Ordinance or under implementation provisions, to do something, a district officer, a government veterinarian or an inspector may do it himself or cause it to be done, as long as it has not been done by that person, even if the time for doing it has not yet expired.
(c)Something done by a district officer, a government veterinarian or an inspector under subsections (a) or (b) shall be deemed to have been done at the expense of the person to whom the implementation direction could have been given, or the person to whom the requirement was addressed, as the case may be, and section 33 shall apply accordingly.
(d)A district officer, a government veterinarian or an inspector shall have such ancillary powers as are necessary for doing anything that is required under subsections (a) and (b), for the discharge of any duty and for the exercise of any power under this Ordinance, including the power of entry into any place, building, vehicle, vessel or aircraft, and the power to take possession of or to detain any animal, carcase, litter, dung or fodder and any vehicle, vessel or aircraft, and any power that could have been conferred by directions under this Ordinance.

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Chapter III: Compensation

Compensation for Slaughter [15,1]§

16.
(a)In this section, "owner" – the person who, before the slaughter of the animal, was entitled to sell it; for this purpose no account shall be taken of a restriction imposed under this Ordinance or of the existence of a pledge, lien or similar charge.
(b)The Treasury shall pay to the owner of an animal slaughtered under this Ordinance compensation as follows:
(1)where the animal was infected with a disease – one-half of its value before it became ill, and not more than one-half of the maximum compensation fixed under subsection (c) for its type or species;
(2)where the animal was suspected of being infected with a disease but was not infected – its value before it was slaughtered, and not more than the maximum compensation fixed under subsection (c) for its type or species;
(3)where the carcase of the animal has been returned to its owner in a condition fit for use, the value of the carcase shall be deducted from the amount of compensation as aforesaid.
(c)The Minister of Agriculture may, by notice in Reshumot (Official Gazette), fix a maximum amount of compensation to be paid under subsection (b) for each type or species of animals slaughtered under the provisions of this Ordinance; such a notice shall come into force from the date of its publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette) or from another date specified therein, whether in the past or in the future.
(d)
(1)An application for the payment of compensation under this section shall be submitted to the committee appointed under the provisions of section 16b, and it shall determine the value of an animal slaughtered under the provisions of this Ordinance and of a carcase found to be fit for use, in accordance with the provisions made under paragraph (2); the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development may prescribe provisions regarding the manner of submitting such an application;
(2)the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, after consultation with the Minister of Finance and with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, shall prescribe provisions regarding the determination of the value of an animal slaughtered under the provisions of this Ordinance and of a carcase found to be fit for use.
(e)Where the owner held insurance on an animal slaughtered pursuant to the provisions of section 7, the insurer, when paying the owner the insurance proceeds due to him, may deduct therefrom the amount of compensation paid to the owner under this Ordinance.

Alternative Insurance Arrangement for the Payment of Compensation§

16a.

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 16, no compensation shall be paid under the provisions of that section in respect of an animal slaughtered under the provisions of this Ordinance, if the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has determined, with respect to that type or species of animal and with respect to the disease on account of which it was slaughtered, that there exists an adequate insurance arrangement for the payment of insurance proceeds to the owner of an animal slaughtered under this Ordinance, under which the State's participation in the insurance premiums is at an appropriate rate.

Committee for the Examination of Applications for the Payment of Compensation§

16b.
(a)The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development shall appoint a committee for the examination of applications for the payment of compensation submitted under section 16, whose members are employees of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (in this section – the Ministry), as follows:
(1)a representative of the Director-General of the Ministry, who is not an employee of the Veterinary Services, and who shall be the chairperson;
(2)a representative of the Director of Veterinary Services from among the employees of the Veterinary Services, who may be appointed according to the type of animal concerned in the matter that is being deliberated by the committee;
(3)a representative of the Legal Adviser of the Ministry.
(b)The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, after consultation with the organisation representing the largest number of farmers in Israel, shall appoint an observer to the committee who is a senior academic staff member at an institution of higher education and is not a veterinarian (in this section – the observer); the observer shall be invited to all meetings of the committee and may participate in all its meetings; however, his absence from a meeting shall not affect the validity of the committee's actions and its powers.
(c)Notice of the appointment of the members of the committee and of the observer shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(d)The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, shall prescribe the rules of procedure of the committee, including provisions regarding the quorum at its meetings, the manner in which a person who may be affected by its decision may present his arguments before it, and also provisions that shall apply to the observer regarding the maintenance of confidentiality and the prevention of conflicts of interest; as long as Regulations have not been made under this subsection, the committee may prescribe its own rules of procedure.

Limitation on the Payment of Compensation§

17.
(a)No compensation shall be paid in respect of a dog, cat or monkey slaughtered under the provisions of this Ordinance.
(b)No compensation shall be paid in respect of an animal that was slaughtered, if the animal was infected with a disease at the time of its importation into the country, or fell ill before it had passed the examination of the examining officer at the point of entry into the country, or if it was imported into the country in contravention of the provisions of this Ordinance or of the implementation provisions.
(c)
(1)No compensation shall be paid in respect of an animal slaughtered under the provisions of this Ordinance if the committee appointed under the provisions of section 16b has determined that its owner committed a material breach of the provisions of this Ordinance or of the implementation provisions, in accordance with the provisions made under paragraph (4), and that it has been proved to its satisfaction that the breach materially contributed to the spread of the disease on account of which the animal was slaughtered; for this purpose, it is presumed that if a material provision of this Ordinance or of the implementation provisions was breached, which breach is of a nature that may cause the spread of a disease, and the slaughter of the animal was required on account of that disease, then the breach materially contributed to the spread of the disease;
(2)notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), the committee appointed under the provisions of section 16b may direct, for special reasons to be recorded and in accordance with criteria fixed under paragraph (4), that compensation be paid at a partial rate, even though a provision as referred to in that paragraph was breached;
(3)where a material provision was breached after the slaughter of the animal, the committee appointed under the provisions of section 16b may make the payment of compensation under this Ordinance conditional upon the rectification of the breach;
(4)the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, shall prescribe the types of provisions that shall be regarded for the purposes of this section as material provisions, and also criteria for the payment of compensation at a partial rate as referred to in paragraph (2).

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