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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Animal Products Act 1999

Offences, penalties, and proceedings - Offences

126: Offences involving endangerment of human or animal health

You could also call this:

"Harming people or animals by breaking animal product rules is against the law"

If you produce, process, or export animal material or products, you must follow the rules. You will commit an offence if you break the rules and this puts people's lives or health at risk. This is because you know that breaking the rules can harm people.

If you operate a risk management programme or are part of one, you must also follow the rules. You will commit an offence if you break the rules and this creates a risk to human or animal health. You can also commit an offence if breaking the rules makes an existing risk worse.

If you commit an offence, you can get in trouble. You might have to pay a fine or even go to prison, depending on what you did and whether you are an individual or a company. The fine can be up to $500,000 for a company or $100,000 for an individual, and the prison term can be up to 5 years. For some offences, the fine can be up to $300,000 for a company or $75,000 for an individual, and the prison term can be up to 2 years.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM35734.

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125E: Regulations about infringement offences, or

"Rules about fines for breaking animal product laws"

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127: Offences involving deception, or

"Lying or cheating about animal products is against the law"

Part 10Offences, penalties, and proceedings
Offences

126Offences involving endangerment of human or animal health

  1. A person commits an offence who, being a producer, processor, or exporter of animal material or animal products, contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of this Act knowing that the contravention or failure would or is likely to endanger the lives or health of the public, or the life or health of any individual.

  2. A person commits an offence who, being the operator of a risk management programme or a person who is required to operate under a risk management programme, or a person subject to the requirements of a regulated control scheme, contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of this Act knowing that the contravention or failure—

  3. may create, directly or indirectly, a risk to human or animal health; or
    1. may, directly or indirectly, increase the likelihood of an existing risk to human or animal health.

      1. Repealed

      2. A person who commits an offence against subsection (1) is liable on conviction—

      3. in the case of a body corporate, to a fine not exceeding $500,000:
        1. in the case of an individual, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years and a fine not exceeding $100,000.

          1. A person who commits an offence against subsection (2) is liable on conviction—

          2. in the case of a body corporate, to a fine not exceeding $300,000:
            1. in the case of an individual, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years and a fine not exceeding $75,000.

              Notes
              • Section 126(3): repealed, on , by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).
              • Section 126(4): amended, on , by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).
              • Section 126(5): amended, on , by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).