Upon applying the provisions thereof, the following phrases and words shall have the meanings assigned thereto respectively herein below, unless the context requires otherwise.
State: United Arab Emirates.
Ministry: Ministry of Environment and Water. 
Minister: Minister of Environment and Water. 
Competent Authority: the local authority in charge of animal health in each emirate. 
Health Authority: Ministry of Health as well as local health authorities in the state. 
Facilities: Any place where the animals are kept, reserved, reproduced, bred, slaughtered, treated or from which the same is transported, including the scientific research institutions, ships, aircraft, trucks and other means of transport. 
Governmental Veterinarian: The veterinarian who works for the Ministry or competent authority. 
Veterinarian: The person who holds a certified bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine or its equivalent degree from a recognized university and also holds a license to practice the profession from the Ministry. 
Animal: All kinds of animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and bees. 
Disease: Clinical and/or pathological symptoms of a particular disease, including any deviation or change in the natural or vital functions of the animal's body. 
Pathological Specimens: All samples taken from the animal such as tissues, cells, faeces, urine or others for the purposes of lab test. 
Communicable Disease: A disease resulting from a pathological reason, which can be tramsitted from an organism to another, whether directly or indirectly. 
Epidemic Disease: An communicable disease that develops and spreads quickly. 
Common Diseases: A disease or spread of pathogen, which is naturally transmitted from animal to human. 
Disease Free Zone: A geographical area which is free from a particular animal disease and its pathogen. 
Infected Area: A geographical area that contains a particular animal disease or its pathogen. 
Epidemiological Surveillance: The continuous collection of samples and information and making comparison and analysis of the same in order to know the health status of the animals. 
Isolation: Restricting the move of sick animals or animals suspected to be infected with one of the communicable, epidemic or common diseases in an area and preventing them from integrating with healthy animals. 
Animal Owner: The owner, keeper, or a person takes care of the animal. 
Animal Products: All edible parts of the animal, including red and white meat, fresh, dried, chilled, frozen, smoked, processed fish, and meat powder and fish powder; in addition to fresh, dried and concentrated dairy and its products and derivatives, spermatozoa, embryos, animal gelatin and eggs, whether for consumption, hatching or scientific purposes. 
Animal Wastes: All non-edible parts of animals including blood, horns, hooves, hair, wool, animal hair, skin, fur, feathers, animal manure, faeces, bones, intestines, stomach, tripe, aborted fetuses and animal remains used in manure, in addition to the fins and bones of the fish and bones and shells powder. 

This law aims at maintaining the health of animals through applying animal diseases prevention and control programs.

Upon noticing or suspecting the infection of animal of disease, the animal owner shall report the disease to the ministry, competent authority or the police station and shall then get the animal examined by a veterinarian. They shall immediately report any disease set forth in the table attached to this law to any of the above-referred authorities.

The competent authority and police station that receives the report referred to in Article No. (3) of this law, shall notify the same to the ministry within 24 hours and mention the place and address of the animal owner.
In addition, the ministry shall immediately verify the authenticity of the report.

The minister shall issue a decision to announce an area as an infected area, which shall not be deemed to be a disease-free zone, unless the minister issues a decision to announce the same.

The health status of the animals shall be announced in the media only after obtaining the approval of the ministry.

The ministry or the competent authority, once they become aware, shall notify the health authority in order to take the necessary actions and measures, if a common disease appears.

The ministry shall carry out the following in cooperation with the competent authority:
1. A program for epidemiological surveillance and necessary examinations for diagnosing diseases and applying the required health measures.
2. Raise awareness of animal diseases and how to prevent and control them.
3. Develop a program, including a list of the diseases against which immunization must be provided along with the health and protective measures required.
4. Create and number a database of animal wealth.
5. Vaccinate animals against diseases and authorize others to do so, provided that the medical supervision is available.

Upon discovering an infected area, the ministry, the competent authority, or the police station – as the case may be - shall take the actions set forth in the executive regulations of this law.

1. The sick animals or animals suspected to be infected with epidemic, common or communicable disease shall be isolated in places designated by the ministry or the competent authority. The owner may not dispose of such animals, without obtaining a joint approval of both the ministry and the competent authority. The animal owner shall bear all costs of feeding during the period of isolation.
2. If the animals referred to in the previous clause are in good condition, after the end of period prescribed by the ministry or the competent authority for observation, the owners of such animals shall receive them within two weeks from the date of notification; otherwise, they may be sold and the necessary costs shall be deducted from the price.

Pathological specimens shall not be sent abroad or be imported. In addition, the animals shall not undergo any scientific experiment without obtaining a prior permit from the ministry.

The ministry or the competent authority shall give orders that the animal, which is infected with epidemic, common or communicable disease be disposed of, and the owner of such animal shall only take its meat, if it is fit for human consumption.

The trading in or disposal of infected animal or animal suspected to be infected of disease, or its products or wastes shall be prohibited. In addition, they shall not be transferred from a place to another without obtaining the approval of the ministry and the competent authority.

The dead or slaughtered animals or any part thereof shall be prohibited from being thrown in roads, outdoors, water resources or near the same, or in sewerage, ponds, dams, valleys or the territorial waters of the state. The executive regulations of this law shall determine the way of disposing of the dead animals.

If any animal dies of infection with any disease, the governmental veterinarian or the veterinarian shall issue all necessary instructions for the safe disposal of such dead animal, its wastes, any materials or tools related thereto as set out in the executive regulations of this law.

The governmental veterinarian shall take the following measures:-
1. Maintain the dead or suspected animal and its waste, materials and tools that are designated for its service.
2. Prohibit selling, transporting or trading in products of the infected or suspected animals.
3. Examine or vaccinate animals or obtain blood samples therefrom to conduct the test he deems necessary. For this purpose, he is entitled to enter into any facility.
4. Apply health procedures to the facility, in which the sick or suspected animals are kept.
5. Verify the soundness of cleansing processes.
6. Any other measures specified by the executive regulations of this law.

Without prejudice to any more severer penalty provided for in any other law:
1-.Whoever violates any provisions of Articles (6), (10), (11) & (13) hereof, shall be punished by prison sentence and/or a fine of not less than AED (10,000) ten thousand dirhams and not more than AED (300,000) thirty thousand dirhams.
2. Whoever violates any of provisions of Article No. (3) hereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than AED (3,000) three thousand dirhams and not more than AED (50,000) fifty thousan dirhams.
3. Whoever violates provision of Article No. (14) hereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than AED (1,000) dirhams one thousand and not more than AED (5,000) five thousand dirhams.

The governmental veterinarians and employees of the Ministry and the Competent Authority, who are designated under a decision of the Minister of Justice, in agreement with the Minister or the Competent Authority, shall have the authority of law enforcement officers in order to detect the breaches of the provisions of this law and all regulations and laws issued to implementation thereof, within the competences granted to each of them.

The Minister may amend the table attached herewith, by way of addition or deletion of any disease.

The cabinet shall issue a decision on the administrative penalties to be imposed on those who violate any provision of this law.

The cabinet shall issue the executive regulations of this law within 6 months from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

Any provision which is repugnant to or contradicts with provisions of this law shall be repealed.

This Law shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall come into force from date of publication.