PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a bill to control zoonotic diseases in the province for the safety of animal and human health.

The proposed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zoonotic Disease Control Act, 2024, was tabled by livestock minister Fazal Hakim during a session chaired by MPA Mohammad Idrees Khan.

Under the law, a zoonotic disease surveillance centre will be established to develop standard operating procedures for coordinated response and strategy with the help of the health department and other stakeholders for the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases as specified.

It will also be responsible for receiving, collecting and analysing information about the zoonotic disease from district offices of the department.

Bill also passed to regulate storage, supply of animal feed

Section 3(e) of the law states, “In case of outbreak of any of the notifiable zoonotic disease, the government declares a veterinary public health emergency by notification in the official Gazette and initiates subsequent response in the province.”

Similarly, a zoonotic disease control committee will be constituted to administer and manage the affairs of the centre.

The committee will meet twice a year, according to the bill.

It will be responsible for developing SOPs in consultation with the health department for the inspection, sampling and testing of animals’ food, origin and by-products within the province for the purpose of inter provincial trade.

The legislation has also empowered the zoonotic disease control committee to declare status of the zoonotic diseases; propose, adopt and ensure measures and procedures for the prevention and control of diseases.

Under the law, zoonotic diseases analytical and reference laboratories would be established in different parts of the province.

Section 11 of the law is about the reporting of zoonotic diseases.

According to it, an owner or an individual, who keeps any animal, will report immediately to the nearest livestock office, veterinarian, veterinary offices or veterinary institute about the animals.

“The public shall not sell or offer for sale the suspected animals, their food or by products and cull the suspected animals, on the instruction of the veterinary officer.”

Section 6 of the law stops the owners from slaughtering the infected or suspected diseased animals except with the permission and in accordance with the instructions of a veterinary officer.

“Whoever violates the provisions of the law, the director or the veterinary officers, as the came may be, may be imposed fine,” states the law.

Section 14 of the law declares, “Where the director or veterinary officer suspects that a zoonotic disease exists in a building or premises and believes that it may spread in animals or human beings or other things, entering the area’s hall because affected or contaminated by it, the director or veterinary officer with prior approval of the director general declare the said place as infected area.”

The assembly also approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Animals Feed Stuff and Compound Feed Act, 2024, for regulating the storage, supply and transportation of feedstuff and compound feed in the province for sale and marketing to “ensure standards of production and quality of feed stuff and compound feed to check adulteration and misbranding of livestock, poultry and fish feed stuff and compound feed ingredients and for matters connected therewith or ancillary thereto.”

The chair adjourned the session until next Monday.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024