Pennsylvania § 2323 - Health requirements.

§ 2323. Health requirements.

(a) Interstate and intrastate movement of domestic animals.--The department may establish identification and minimum health standards for the importation or the intrastate movement of domestic animals in this Commonwealth and may establish procedures for certification of the health status of domestic animals imported into or transported within this Commonwealth. If the department shall suspect the genuineness of any health certificate or official disease test report relating to domestic animals or shall question the competency of the person who shall have issued such report or certificate, the department may decline to accept the same and may refuse to permit the importation or intrastate movement of the domestic animals concerned unless a certificate or report is furnished from the proper inspector of the state or country of origin or USDA-APHIS-VS or unless the department shall otherwise determine.

(b) Violations.--

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly, recklessly or negligently import or bring into this Commonwealth without the written permission of the department any domestic animal that is contaminated with a hazardous substance or that is infected with or that has been exposed to any transmissible disease.

(2) It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly, recklessly or negligently import or bring into this Commonwealth any domestic animal in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, an order entered under authority of this chapter or any attendant regulation to prevent the introduction of any transmissible disease.

(3) It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly, recklessly or negligently receive or keep or have in his keeping or possession any domestic animal imported, brought into or transported within this Commonwealth in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or to allow any such domestic animal to come into contact with any other domestic animal.

(c) Authority to remove or slaughter.--Whenever any domestic animal is imported into this Commonwealth or transported within this Commonwealth in violation of this chapter, the department shall have authority to cause such domestic animal to be removed from this Commonwealth or the domestic animal removed directly to slaughter or destroyed without indemnity.