Artificial Insemination of Cattle Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988

PART IV APPROVAL OF BULLS

Approval of bulls for artificial insemination purposes

10.—(1) A person shall not keep a bull, or cause or permit a bull to be kept, for the purposes of collecting and processing semen therefrom for use in the artificial insemination of a cow except it is approved by the Department for that purpose.

(2) The Department may require an applicant for the approval of a bull under paragraph (1) to permit or cause the bull to be subjected to such isolation and to such tests, examinations or inspections, and to furnish to the Department such information, as it may deem necessary to enable it to determine whether or not to grant the application.

(3) In determining whether or not to grant any application for the approval of a bull the Department—

(a) shall have regard to—

(i) the health and physical characteristics of the bull; and

(ii) any abnormalities or defects of any kind in its progeny; and

(b) may have regard to the health of any other cattle with which the bull has or may have been in contact.

(4) Where the Department has approved a bull under paragraph (1) it may require that—

(a) the bull be subjected to such further isolation and to such further tests, examinations or inspections as the Department may deem necessary; and

(b) the amount of semen collected and processed from the bull—

(i) be restricted to a quantity specified in the approval; and

(ii) be used in the artificial insemination only of cows in such herd or herds as may be specified in the approval.

11.  Where the owner of an approved bull or the owner of any semen from such a bull knows or suspects that any progeny of that bull has shown any sign of abnormality or defect, that person shall as soon as practicable inform the Department in writing and if so directed by the Department in writing he shall inform any other person who he knows to be in possession of semen from that bull.

12.  The owner of an approved bull shall inform the Department of the death of such bull as soon as practicable thereafter and shall give the circumstances in which it occurred including the results of any postmortem examination.

13.  The owner of an approved bull shall inform the Department of any change of ownership of the bull as soon as practicable thereafter.

14.—(1) The Department may at any time by notice on the owner of an approved bull and to any other person it may deem appropriate—

(a) modify, suspend or revoke any condition subject to which the bull was approved or may subject the approval to any new condition it may consider appropriate; or

(b) suspend or revoke the approval.

(2) Where the Department has suspended or revoked the approval of a bull under paragraph (1)(b) a person who has been notified of such suspension or revocation shall not use or supply for use in the artificial insemination of a cow such semen collected from that bull as the Department may specify in the notice, except with the consent of the Department in writing.

15.—(1) The Department may by notice on the owner of an approved bull and on any other person it may deem appropriate, prohibit the use in the artificial insemination of a cow of any semen collected from that bull where in the opinion of the Department it appears necessary to do so in order to safeguard animal health or welfare, having regard to the result of any test, examination or inspection of the bull or of any information relating to its progeny.

(2) Any notice issued under paragraph (1) may require that the prohibition shall apply to semen collected during a period specified in that notice, and may require that any person to whom the notice was given shall inform any other person whom he knows to be in possession of semen from that bull which was collected within that period.