Contagious Diseases (Animals) Acts. This legislation was begun in 1869, but now stands on the acts of 1878, 1884, 1886, and 1896. These acts, and the orders issued under them by the Privy-council, constitute a most important code of administrative regulations for the protection of cattle, sheep, goats, and all other ruminating animals, and also swine, against cattle-plague (or rinderpest), contagious pleuro-pneumonia, foot and mouth disease, sheep-pox, sheep-scab, glanders, farcy, swine fever, and anthrax. The Privy-council have also issued an order relating to rabies in dogs. Since 1888 the acts are administered by the county councils in counties, town councils in boroughs over 10,000, and by the police authorities in smaller towns in England; and in Scotland by certain mixed boards for the counties, and by the town councils in parliamentary burghs. The method of working is that on the report of a local veterinary inspector, the Privy-council declare a place to be infected, and direct all animals suffering from cattle-plague to be slaughtered, compensation being given to the owners out of money provided by parliament. As regards pleuro-pneumonia, the local authority may take the initiative in declaring a place infected, and they provide the compensation for slaughtered cattle out of a local assessment. The same process is followed as regards foot and mouth disease, but the power of slaughter does not exist in this case. The place 'declared' is often only a field or a cow-shed, but may be indefinitely extended. The Privy-council have a general power of making orders with reference to the transit or movement of animals affected with pleuro-pneumonia or foot and mouth disease; and a large part of the administration consists in carrying out these 'movement orders,' which are numerous and modified from time to time. It is the duty of every person having a diseased animal to give immediate notice to the police. For the purposes of these acts the Privy-council has a large jurisdiction over markets, exhibitions, landing wharves, the treatment of cattle by railway companies and on board ship, &c. The act of 1896 prohibits the importation of foreign animals into the United Kingdom to be used as food, except for immediate slaughter at the port of landing. On account of the regulations as to rabies in dogs, the disease is supposed to be extinguished in Britain.
The Act of 1886 transferred to the Local Government Boards of England and Ireland and the Board of Supervision in Scotland the power of issuing orders relating to dairies, cow-sheds, and milk-shops, and to local sanitary authorities the power of making regulations under such orders. These regulations may deal with the lighting, ventilation, cleansing, drainage, and water-supply of dairies and cow-sheds in the occupation of persons following the trade of cow-keepers or dairymen; the cleanliness of milk-stores, milk-shops, and of milk-vessels used for containing milk for sale by such persons; and may prescribe precautions to be taken by purveyors of milk and persons selling milk by retail against infection or contamination. The result of this transfer of powers has been to place milk-selling under stricter supervision than hitherto, as it is unlawful for any person to carry on the trade without being duly registered.