Federal Law No. (8) of 2013 Concerning the Prevention and Control of Communicable and Epidemic Animal Diseases
Federal Law No. (8) of 2013
Protects animal and public health through surveillance, notification, quarantine, movement restrictions, veterinary measures and coordinated response to communicable and epidemic animal diseases.
Overview
What this legislation covers
Protects animal and public health through surveillance, notification, quarantine, movement restrictions, veterinary measures and coordinated response to communicable and epidemic animal diseases.
Who or what it applies to
- Owners and keepers of livestock, companion animals and other animals covered by the law.
- Veterinarians and veterinary facilities with notification or control duties.
- Farms, holdings, markets, transporters and animal gatherings.
- Importers/exporters and border-control actors for animals and animal products.
- Federal and local veterinary, agriculture, environment and public-health authorities.
Key points
Important points at a glance
Creates a federal system for prevention and control of communicable and epidemic animal diseases.
Lists diseases and regulatory classifications through the law, schedules and Executive Regulation.
Requires animal owners, keepers and veterinary professionals to report suspected or confirmed disease as required.
Authorises veterinary authorities to inspect animals, holdings, transport means and relevant premises.
Provides for quarantine, isolation and movement controls for infected or suspected animals.
Allows testing, vaccination, treatment or other veterinary preventive measures where legally prescribed.
Regulates movement of animals, animal products and materials from affected or controlled areas.
Provides measures for infected premises, markets, farms and gatherings.
Allows destruction, disposal or sanitary handling of infected animals/products where required for disease control.
Regulates cleansing, disinfection and biosecurity measures after disease detection.
Coordinates import/export and border veterinary measures with the wider animal-health framework.
Requires cooperation with official veterinary investigations and prohibits concealment or obstruction.
Provides enforcement and penalties for specified violations.
Cabinet Resolution No. (25) of 2014 is the active Executive Regulation.
The current listed diseases and technical measures should be checked before operational reliance.
Practical explanation
Understanding the law
Purpose and practical effect
Protects animal and public health through surveillance, notification, quarantine, movement restrictions, veterinary measures and coordinated response to communicable and epidemic animal diseases.
Who and what the law applies to
- Owners and keepers of livestock, companion animals and other animals covered by the law.
- Veterinarians and veterinary facilities with notification or control duties.
- Farms, holdings, markets, transporters and animal gatherings.
- Importers/exporters and border-control actors for animals and animal products.
- Federal and local veterinary, agriculture, environment and public-health authorities.
Important definitions
- Communicable Animal Disease: an animal disease capable of transmission and included within the law/regulatory system.
- Epidemic Disease: a disease spreading or threatening to spread in a manner requiring official outbreak-control measures.
- Competent Veterinary Authority: the federal/local body responsible for animal-health controls.
- Quarantine: legally imposed separation or movement restriction for animals/material exposed to disease.
- Animal Holding: farm, establishment, shelter or other place where animals are kept under the law.
Main rights, duties and legal consequences
- Competent veterinary authorities may impose preventive and outbreak-control measures within statutory powers.
- Owners and keepers must report disease and comply with quarantine, testing and movement restrictions.
- Veterinarians must follow official notification and biosecurity obligations.
- Any compensation or disposal entitlement must be determined under the exact statutory provision and implementing rules, not assumed.
Practical compliance / procedure checklist
- Identify the suspected disease and current regulatory classification.
- Notify the competent veterinary authority through the prescribed channel.
- Isolate affected/suspected animals and avoid unauthorised movement pending instructions.
- Permit inspection, sampling and epidemiological investigation by authorised officers.
- Apply official vaccination, treatment, slaughter/disposal, cleaning or disinfection directions.
- Maintain movement and animal-health records required by the Executive Regulation.
- Obtain permits before moving animals/products from a controlled area.
- Check import/export and local Emirate rules in addition to the federal statute.
Important dates and deadlines
- Issued: 21 October 2013.
- Effective: 31 October 2013.
- Executive Regulation No. (25) of 2014: effective 25 July 2014.
- Notification and quarantine periods vary by disease and official measure.
- Current disease schedules must be checked for live cases.
Enforcement and legal exposure
Authorities may impose quarantine, movement restrictions and sanitary measures, and violations may attract statutory penalties. Exact sanctions and any compensation mechanism depend on the specific article and current implementing rules.
Practical scenarios
- A farm noticing unusual mortality should notify the veterinary authority promptly and avoid moving animals off-site.
- A transporter carrying animals from a controlled area should verify movement permits before departure.
- A veterinarian who suspects a listed disease should follow the statutory notification process.
- An outbreak response may lawfully include vaccination, culling or disposal only through the competent-authority framework.
Current-law interaction
No amendment to the principal law was identified in the official portal review. Cabinet Resolution No. (25) of 2014 remains the key Executive Regulation; current disease schedules and veterinary authority directions should be rechecked for live matters.
Research status and caution
Legal-status and source verification for this package was carried out on 2026-09-08. UAE federal legislation frequently operates together with Executive Regulations, Cabinet resolutions, ministerial decisions, regulator guidance and Emirate-level rules. The current official source should be rechecked before a live filing, licence application, tax position, clinical/veterinary decision, enforcement step or court submission.
The cover is an editorial design supplied by the user. Its visual wording is not used as the sole basis for legal status. Where the cover and current official materials differ, the manifest and legal files record the verified/current framework used for this package.
Practical notes
- Use the current official Arabic text for interpretation and application; the English material in this package is a structured legal-information rendering.
- Verify the latest consolidated law, Executive Regulation, Cabinet/ministerial decisions and relevant Emirate-level rules immediately before case-specific reliance.
- Exact penalties, thresholds, exceptions, licence conditions, medical/technical criteria and procedural deadlines must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
- The supplied cover artwork is editorial artwork and does not constitute an official UAE Government publication or legal-status certificate.
Legislation text
Text and provisions
Official-text notice. This file is a comprehensive structured English legal-information rendering based on the official/current sources listed in this package. It is not represented as the controlling verbatim English text. For interpretation and application, the official Arabic text prevails. Exact offence elements, penalties, thresholds, exceptions, licence conditions, technical or medical criteria and deadlines must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
Federal Law No. (8) of 2013 Concerning the Prevention and Control of Communicable and Epidemic Animal Diseases
Verified legislative metadata
| Instrument | Federal Law No. (8) of 2013 |
|---|---|
| Issued | 2013-10-21 |
| Effective | 2013-10-31 |
| Status | Active / in force |
| Official Gazette | Official Gazette No. 555 |
| Official source | UAE legislation source |
Purpose and scope
Protects animal and public health through surveillance, notification, quarantine, movement restrictions, veterinary measures and coordinated response to communicable and epidemic animal diseases.
Structured legislative map
Definitions and disease classification
Defines animal-disease concepts and identifies diseases through statutory and regulatory schedules.
Notification duties
Requires specified persons to report suspected or confirmed diseases.
Veterinary investigation
Authorises inspection, sampling, examination and epidemiological investigation.
Quarantine and isolation
Provides for animal and premises quarantine and separation of infected or exposed animals.
Movement controls
Restricts movement of animals, products, equipment or vehicles from controlled areas.
Preventive veterinary measures
Supports vaccination, testing, treatment and other authorised measures.
Outbreak response
Allows emergency controls, closure of markets/holdings and designation of infected or surveillance zones.
Sanitary disposal
Regulates slaughter, destruction, burial, disposal or treatment of infected material where required.
Cleaning and disinfection
Requires sanitation and biosecurity measures for affected locations and transport means.
Border controls
Interacts with veterinary import, export and quarantine rules.
Records and cooperation
Requires accurate records and cooperation with competent veterinary authorities.
Penalties and enforcement
Creates offences and administrative/criminal consequences for violations.
Executive Regulation
Cabinet Resolution No. (25) of 2014 provides detailed technical rules and disease schedules.
Key statutory points
- Creates a federal system for prevention and control of communicable and epidemic animal diseases.
- Lists diseases and regulatory classifications through the law, schedules and Executive Regulation.
- Requires animal owners, keepers and veterinary professionals to report suspected or confirmed disease as required.
- Authorises veterinary authorities to inspect animals, holdings, transport means and relevant premises.
- Provides for quarantine, isolation and movement controls for infected or suspected animals.
- Allows testing, vaccination, treatment or other veterinary preventive measures where legally prescribed.
- Regulates movement of animals, animal products and materials from affected or controlled areas.
- Provides measures for infected premises, markets, farms and gatherings.
- Allows destruction, disposal or sanitary handling of infected animals/products where required for disease control.
- Regulates cleansing, disinfection and biosecurity measures after disease detection.
- Coordinates import/export and border veterinary measures with the wider animal-health framework.
- Requires cooperation with official veterinary investigations and prohibits concealment or obstruction.
- Provides enforcement and penalties for specified violations.
- Cabinet Resolution No. (25) of 2014 is the active Executive Regulation.
- The current listed diseases and technical measures should be checked before operational reliance.
Amendments, regulations and interaction with other legislation
No amendment to the principal law was identified in the official portal review. Cabinet Resolution No. (25) of 2014 remains the key Executive Regulation; current disease schedules and veterinary authority directions should be rechecked for live matters.
How this text should be used
This package is designed for website publication, internal research and client-facing orientation. It maps the instrument's operative subject matter and the current regulatory context verified for this batch. It does not replace article-level reading. Where the answer depends on a defined term, scheduled disease or product, professional qualification, technical standard, licence category, tax period, limitation period, consent requirement, offence, penalty, exemption, transition rule or deadline, open the current official legislation and the relevant Executive Regulation or competent-authority decision before relying on the conclusion.
Source priority
For legal interpretation, the official Arabic legislation is controlling. The official English portal is useful for research but itself states that the Arabic text prevails in case of conflict. Local Emirate rules, regulator circulars and technical decisions may add operational requirements without replacing the federal framework.
Verification
Official source & references
Official legislation sourcehttps://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1156Open ↗Official Gazette: Official Gazette No. 555
This page is a research and educational resource. Legislation can be amended, repealed, supplemented by regulations or interpreted by courts and authorities. Obtain advice before relying on it for a live matter.