The present Act regulates how animals are kept in Denmark, aiming to ensure responsible animal husbandry, protect animal welfare, and uphold food safety and public health. The Act applies broadly to animals in human care, wildlife, and animal-derived products. It mandates standards for registration, identification, sale, and transport of animals and empowers the Minister for Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries to implement educational, hygiene, and health regulations for animal keepers. The law also regulates animal breeding, including requirements for pedigree registration and genetic materials like embryos and semen, and offers subsidies for preserving rare Danish livestock breeds. It empowers different governmental bodies to regulate the different areas covered by the Act.
Furthermore, the Act establishes comprehensive measures to prevent and manage infectious diseases and zoonoses (diseases transmissible from animals to humans). It outlines government powers to control disease outbreaks, including mandatory testing, quarantine, vaccination, or culling of animals, and handling of contaminated products. Veterinary inspections, public reporting, and control of animal feed and waste are key parts of this system. The Act also governs the import, export, and transport of animals and products, and mandates registration and oversight of related businesses. Provisions for digital communication, enforcement, penalties, and appeals are included to ensure compliance and accountability.
The Act consists of 16 Chapters: Scope and purpose (1); Keeping, registration, labeling and sale of animals (2); Dangerous animals (3); Keeping of certain animal species (4); Livestock breeding (5); Animal diseases and infections (6); Veterinary Fund (6a); Import and export of animals (7); Semen, ova and embryos (8); Animal waste and feed (9); Storage and use of drugs (10); Payment and compensation (11); Control in connection with group delivery of slaughter pigs and publication of inspection results (12); Appeals and delegation (13); Mandatory digital communication (13a); The European Union (14); Penalties and loss of right (15); Entry into force (16).