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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 IV: Infected Areas

Declaration of Infected Areas [17(1)-(5)]§

18.
(a)The Director of Veterinary Services may, by Order published in Reshumot (Official Gazette), declare an area, village or site to be an infected area.
(b)A government veterinarian may declare a village to be an infected area by delivering notice to the mukhtar of the village, and the latter shall immediately take such steps as appear to him to be practicable to publicise the declaration in the village; where such notice has been delivered, the government veterinarian shall notify the Director of Veterinary Services of the particulars of the notice, and the Director shall cause it to be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette) within ten days of the delivery of the notice to the mukhtar, unless it has been cancelled beforehand.
(c)A government veterinarian may declare any site to be an infected area by delivering notice to the occupier of the site, and if there is none – to the owner of the site.
(d)A declaration under this section shall be given once the person competent to give it is satisfied that a disease is present in the area, village or site, or in any part thereof, or was recently present therein; the declaration shall specify the disease and shall set out the location of the area or site and its boundaries and the name of the village, as the case may be.

Amendment and Revocation of Declaration [17(6)]§

19.

Without derogating from the powers of the Director of Veterinary Services and a government veterinarian to amend or revoke a declaration given by them under section 18, the Minister of Agriculture may amend or revoke a declaration given by the Director of Veterinary Services, and the Director of Veterinary Services may amend or revoke a declaration given by a government veterinarian, all in the manner in which the declaration could have been amended or revoked by the person who gave it.

Provisions Regarding Infected Areas§

20.
(a)The following provisions shall apply to infected areas, subject to subsection (c):
(1)No person shall bring an animal into an area or remove it therefrom except under a written permit from a government veterinarian and in accordance with the conditions of the permit;
(2)No person shall leave the area unless he has complied with the directions, general or special, given by a government veterinarian or an inspector for the prevention of the spread of a disease;
(3)No article that has been used for the purposes of a diseased animal or an animal suspected of being diseased, on it or on its body or around it, or for the transport of such an animal or for the transport of anything derived from it, shall be removed from the area except under a written permit from a government veterinarian and in accordance with its conditions;
(4)Owners of animals in the area shall keep or hold them as far as possible from a public road;
(5)A government veterinarian or an inspector may direct the owner of an animal in the area to isolate it from other animals in the area or to transfer it, within a specified period, to a place to be directed;
(6)A government veterinarian or an inspector may cause every animal in the area to be permanently marked in a manner deemed appropriate;
(7)If an animal dies of a disease, its owner shall immediately burn the carcase or bury it at a depth of not less than two metres below the surface of the ground; however, a government veterinarian may authorise the transfer of the carcase to any place for conversion into food for animals or into another product and may prescribe conditions therefor.
(b)A person who through negligence enables an animal to stray into an infected area or to escape from it shall be regarded as if he had brought the animal into the area or removed it therefrom, as the case may be.
(c)The Minister of Agriculture may, by Regulations, add to the provisions of subsection (a), derogate from them or replace them, in whole or in part, whether in relation to infected areas in general or in relation to a particular infected area.
(d)The powers under this section do not derogate from other powers under this Ordinance.

Notification of Disease§

21.

The Director of Veterinary Services may, by notice in Reshumot (Official Gazette), declare any disease to be a disease contagious to human beings; upon the occurrence of such a disease, the government veterinarian shall notify the nearest government medical officer within a reasonable time.

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Chapter V: Regulations

Regulations [20(a)–(h), (j)–(o)]§

22.
(a)The Minister of Agriculture may make Regulations for the implementation of the purposes and provisions of this Ordinance, and in particular with respect to the following matters, in whole or in part:
(1)Inspection, examination, detention, vaccination, disinfection, transfer, permanent marking, dipping, testing or slaughter of animals diseased or suspected of being diseased, or of animals that have been exposed to infection or are particularly susceptible to infection with a disease;
(2)Cleansing and disinfection of buildings and places in which animals have been housed or kept, as well as markets, private sale yards, railway yards or vehicles in which animals have been placed, kept or transported;
(3)Disinfection of persons who were present in an infected area or who came into contact with animals diseased or suspected of being diseased, or who dealt with such animals, as well as of their clothing and personal belongings;
(4)Imposition of quarantine on sick animals or animals that have been in contact with animals diseased with a disease or that are particularly susceptible to infection with a disease;
(5)Prescribing and regulating the destruction, burial, disposal or treatment of carcases, fodder, litter, implements, dung or other things found in an infected place or infected area or removed therefrom;
(5a)Prescribing and regulating the examination, treatment, disinfection, seizure, transfer, detention, disposal, slaughter or destruction of animals, their produce or their carcases, in respect of which there is a concern of harm to human health;
(6)Prohibition and regulation of the removal of carcases from their burial;
(7)Prescribing and regulating the slaughter of animals, including the conduct of inspection as well as the examination of carcases;
(8)Establishment of slaughterhouses, animal markets and facilities for the keeping of animals, their planning and use;
(9)Prohibition and regulation of movement within Israel of animals, carcases, litter, dung or fodder;
(10)Prescribing and regulating the licensing of the movement and transfer of animals and articles;
(11)Prohibition and regulation of the import and export of animals, carcases, litter and manure;
(12)Prohibition and regulation of the import of a disease-causing organism and the use thereof, and of the import of a veterinary vaccine or serum or similar product used for the prevention, treatment or diagnosis of a disease, its manufacture or use;
(13)Prescribing and regulating the seizure, detention and disposal of an animal in respect of which a contravention of this Ordinance or of implementation provisions has occurred;
(14)Prescribing the duties of local authorities under this Ordinance;
(15)Prevention, in general, of the spread of animal diseases.
(16)Prescribing and regulating with respect to an operation as referred to in paragraph (8) of the definition of "treatment of agricultural produce" in the Public Health Protection (Food) Law, 5776-2015 (hereinafter – the Public Health Protection (Food) Law), including the obligation to implement a food safety plan and the granting of an operating permit and veterinary supervision; Regulations under this paragraph require consultation with the Minister of Health.
(b)The Minister may, after consultation with the Scientific Council of the Israel Veterinary Medical Association, prescribe by Regulations with respect to clinics, both generally and with respect to categories thereof according to branches of services or treatment provided therein, provisions regarding –
(1)methods of supervising compliance with the provisions of the Regulations under this section;
(2)imposition of an obligation to register clinics of certain categories;
(3)the conditions to be fulfilled in clinics for the purpose of providing veterinary medical services or medical treatment of certain categories;
(4)sanitary arrangements;
(5)keeping of records, their maintenance, preservation and inspection thereof.
(c)Regulations pursuant to paragraphs (3), (10) to (12) and (14) of subsection (a), and pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (5) of subsection (b), shall be made with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset.

Fees [20(i)]§

23.
(a)The Minister of Agriculture, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, may by Regulations prescribe fees for –
(1)examination, vaccination, testing, dipping, disinfection or slaughter of animals;
(2)feeding and keeping of animals in quarantine;
(3)examination and disinfection of hides or other parts of animals;
(4)a certificate, licence, permit or other document issued in accordance with Regulations under this Ordinance;

and may also regulate the payment and collection of expenses incurred by the State under this Ordinance.

(a1)
(1)The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, with the consent of the Minister of Finance and with the approval of the Health Committee of the Knesset, may prescribe fees for veterinary supervision in plants for raw meat as defined in section 177 of the Public Health Protection (Food) Law, or in facilities in which operations as referred to in paragraph (1) of the definition of "treatment of agricultural produce" in that Law are carried out, and may prescribe different fees for supervision as aforesaid during regular working hours and for supervision during hours beyond regular working hours and at night hours, or different fees for different supervisory functions; for this purpose, "regular working hours" – as the Minister shall prescribe by Regulations in the manner referred to in this subsection;
(2)Fees under this subsection in respect of veterinary supervision during regular working hours shall be prescribed in relation to the basic fee amount as defined in section 213(a) of the Public Health Protection (Food) Law and taking into account higher or lower employment costs in certain veterinary supervisory functions;
(3)The provisions of sections 217 and 219(1) of the Public Health Protection (Food) Law shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to the collection of fees under this subsection; value added tax under the Value Added Tax Law, 5736-1975 shall be added to a fee paid under this subsection.
(b)The Fines, Fees and Costs Collection Authority Law, 5755-1995 shall apply to the collection of fees under this section.
(c)Fees prescribed under subsection (a) that are paid to a local authority for operations carried out by it under this Ordinance shall also be prescribed with the consent of the Minister of the Interior.
(d)Where a fee payable to a local authority for an operation of the operations listed in subsection (a) has been prescribed pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a), no fee shall be collected for that operation by virtue of a by-law.

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Chapter VI: Miscellaneous

Bar on Action§

24.

No cause of action shall lie against the State or against any of its employees in respect of an act done in good faith under the provisions of this Ordinance or under implementation provisions, and except as provided in this Ordinance, no compensation shall be paid in respect of an act done thereunder unless the Minister of Agriculture directs otherwise.

Shelf Life of Raw Meat§

24a.
(a)The holder of an operating permit shall determine the shelf life of the raw meat produced by him and shall label it accordingly; in this section, "operating permit" – a permit granted under this Ordinance for the operation of a plant for raw meat as defined in section 177 of the Public Health Protection (Food) Law, 5776-2015.
(b)The holder of an import permit under this Ordinance shall label the shelf life of raw livestock meat and raw poultry meat that he imported, provided that the shelf life as aforesaid shall not exceed the shelf life determined by the manufacturer in the country of production for that product.

Power of Arrest without Warrant [22(1)]§

25.
(a)A district supervisor, district officer, government veterinarian, inspector or police officer (hereinafter – a person with authority) may detain without a warrant a person found committing an offence under this Ordinance or under implementation provisions, or suspected thereof, and if the name and address of that person are not known to the person with authority and the person refuses to provide them to the satisfaction of the person with authority, the person with authority may arrest him without a warrant.
(b)If the person was arrested by someone other than a police officer, the person making the arrest shall hand over the offender, as soon as possible, to a police officer, and in the absence of a police officer shall take him to the nearest police station.

Power of Seizure [22(2) and 23(4)]§

26.
(a)Any government veterinarian, inspector or police officer may seize and examine any animal, carcase, vehicle, vessel or article in respect of which he suspects that an offence under this Ordinance or under implementation provisions has been committed, and may order their return to the area or place from which he suspects they were unlawfully removed, or may transfer them to any place and detain them there subject to an Order from a judge of a Magistrate's Court; the person carrying out the seizure and detention as aforesaid shall notify, as soon as possible, a judge of the Magistrate's Court in the district in which the seizure was carried out.
(b)The judge may order that the owner of an animal or article seized and detained pursuant to subsection (a) shall pay to a government veterinarian a sum that appears to him to be reasonable to cover the expenses connected with the transfer of the animal or article to the place of keeping, and the expenses of keeping and feeding the animal during the period of keeping, and may also order that if the sum is not paid within the time specified in the Order, the animal or article shall be forfeited.

Forfeiture [23(3)]§

27.

Where a judge of a Magistrate's Court has been notified that an animal or article has been seized and detained pursuant to the provisions of section 26, and the person to whom the commission of the offence is attributed is unknown or cannot be located, the judge may, if he is of the opinion that there are grounds to assume that an offence as aforesaid has been committed, order the forfeiture of the animal or article; however, no such Order shall be made unless the owner, if his name and whereabouts are known, has been given an opportunity to appear before the judge and to show cause why such an Order should not be made.

27a.§

(Repealed — תשע״ד)

27b.§

(Repealed — תשע״ד)

27c.§

(Repealed — תשע״ד)

27d.§

(Repealed — תשע״ד)

27e.§

(Repealed — תשע״ד)

27f.§

(Repealed — תשע״ד)

Penalties [23(1),(2)]§

28.
(a)A person who contravenes this Ordinance or an implementation provision, or a notice or permit given under this Ordinance or Regulations made thereunder, or who obstructs a person from exercising the powers conferred on him or from performing the duties imposed on him under this Ordinance or under an implementation provision, is liable to imprisonment for one year.
(a1)Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development may prescribe by Regulations –
(1)that the contravention of a provision prescribed therein shall not constitute an offence;
(2)that the penalty of a person who has contravened a provision prescribed therein shall be imprisonment of up to six months or a fine as referred to in section 61(a)(1) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977.
(b)Where a person has been convicted of an offence under this Ordinance, the court that convicted him may order the forfeiture of the animals or articles in respect of which the offence was committed, or some of them, in addition to or instead of any other penalty.

Reward for Informant§

29.

Where a court has convicted a person of an offence under this Ordinance and has imposed a fine upon him, it may grant a part of the fine, not exceeding half thereof, to the person whose information led to the conviction.

Veterinarian's Report§

30.

In a prosecution for an offence under this Ordinance, any report signed by a government veterinarian shall be admissible as evidence, unless the accused has demanded the attendance of the veterinarian as a witness or the court has seen a need for his attendance.

Bringing of Animals, their Carcases and Produce from the Area and from the Territories of the Palestinian Council§

30a.
(a)For the purposes of this Ordinance and notwithstanding any law, the bringing or causing the bringing of animals, their carcases, and any goods or produce of animals whose import is regulated under this Ordinance, from the Area and from the territories of the Palestinian Council into Israel, shall be treated as import.
(b)The provisions of subsection (a) shall not apply to animals, their carcases, and any goods or produce of animals as referred to in that subsection, which were lawfully raised or produced in settlements under the supervision of the Director of Veterinary Services and which were in the territories of those settlements until their being brought into Israel.
(c)In this section –

"Area" and "territories of the Palestinian Council" – as defined in the Schedule to the Law for the Extension of the Validity of Emergency Regulations (Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip – Jurisdiction in Offences and Legal Assistance), 5727-1967.

Burden of Proof§

31.
(a)Where the owner of an animal suffering from a disease has been charged with an offence under this Ordinance, it shall be presumed that he knew of the disease or suspected its existence, unless he satisfies the court that he had no such knowledge or suspicion and that he could not, with reasonable diligence, have obtained such knowledge.
(b)Where a person has been charged with the import or export of an animal, carcase, litter, dung or fodder in circumstances in which this constitutes an offence on his part under this Ordinance, the burden of proving that those circumstances did not exist lies upon him.

Expenses§

32.

Where something has been done or caused by a State employee and under this Ordinance it is regarded as done at the expense of a particular person, the expenses reasonably incurred in connection with it shall be a debt of that person to the State; without derogating from any other methods of collection, the debt may be claimed and collected in the competent court; however, this section shall not apply to anything in respect of which a fee has been prescribed in Regulations under this Ordinance.

Non-Application of the Interpretation Ordinance in Certain Matters§

33.

Notwithstanding the Interpretation Ordinance [New Version], it is not necessary to publish in Reshumot (Official Gazette) Regulations under this Ordinance, except for Orders and Regulations under sections 2, 3, 20(c), 22 and 23, unless this Ordinance otherwise provides.

Transitional Provisions Regarding Administrative Directions§

33a.

Administrative directions, notices and conditions for the grant of production licences or proper production approvals that were given under the Supervision of Commodities and Services Order (Trade in Food, its Production and Storage), and under the Public Health Protection (Food) Law before the commencement of Chapter VIII of that Law (hereinafter – the eve of the commencement date), shall continue to apply and shall be followed with respect to an operation as referred to in paragraph (8) of the definition of "treatment of agricultural produce" in that Law, until directions are prescribed or given, as the case may be, replacing them under the Law; production licences or proper production approvals granted before the eve of the commencement date shall continue to apply until their expiry or until the period referred to in section 321(a)(1) of that Law, whichever is later.

Animal Welfare Considerations in the Exercise of Authority§

34.

A person who has been granted authority under this Ordinance may, in exercising that authority, take into consideration considerations for reducing harm to the welfare of animals as defined in the Animal Welfare (Protection of Animals) Law, 5754-1994, and for advancing the purposes of that Law.

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