Section 23: Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
"animal" means horse, mule, donkey, camel, cattle, cow, bull, bullock, heifer and calf, buffalo, sheep, goat, swine, dog, cat, laboratory animal, wild animal and for purposes of this Act includes bird, rabbit and poultry (domestic fowl, turkey, duck, goose, parrot and any birds of the parrot family, pigeon, guinea fowl and ostrich);
"animal product" means egg, milk, semen or any other part of the animal;
"animal unit" means one animal unit which is equivalent to one cow or camel or five sheep or five goats;
"area" means an area to which this Act applies;
"authorised officer" means any officer including a veterinary surgeon in private practice, authorised by the Director or Chief Veterinary Officer of any State, either in writing or by notice in the Federal Gazette, to perform a duty or to exercise a power in relation to which the expression is used;
"biologic" means any of the substances commonly known as vaccine serum, toxin, antitoxin, antibody and antigen used in veterinary practice;
"carcass" means the carcass of an animal and includes part of a carcass and the meat, bone, hide, skin, hoof, horn, wool, hair, blood, offal or any other part of animal separately or otherwise or any part thereof;
"Chief Veterinary Officer" means a veterinary officer appointed by the State Government charged with the overall responsibility for matters relating to animal health and production;
"Commissioner" means a Commissioner of a State charged with the responsibility for matters relating to animal health and production;
"control post" means an established area along trade cattle routes at international and inter-State borders or within the States with facilities for inspection, examination, vaccination and treatment of trade animals;
"Director" means the Veterinary Officer who has overall responsibility of the Federal Livestock Department;
''hatchery'' means an establishment where poultry eggs are incubated and hatched for the purposes of sale and distribution;
"infectious agent" means any organism such as virus, bacteria, fungus, protozoa, helminth, or their vectors causing disease in animals;
"inspection station" means an established area within a State along the cattle route with facilities for inspection and examination of trade animals;
"local government" shall be deemed to include the Chairman, the Secretary and the staff of the Veterinary Department of a Local Government Area;
"magistrate" shall be deemed to include a Justice of Peace and an area court judge, as the case may be;
"Minister" means the Minister charged with the responsibility for matters relating to animal health and production;
"premises" means house, tenement, land, farm, hatchery and includes rail wagon, motor vehicle, river or ocean-going vessel or aircraft;
"prescribed officer" means a person duly authorised by the Director, Chief Veterinary Officer or the Local Government, as the case may be, to perform a duty or exercise a power in relation to which the expression is used;
"poultry farm" means a farm where a flock of poultry is raised for the purpose of sale and distribution;
"quarantine station" means a designated place where animals with their boxes, rugs, kennels and other appurtenances which have come from infected or suspected to be infected countries or areas are detained at the frontiers, ports of entry or at other officially designated areas where they are temporarily kept before being allowed to mix with local stock or for restricting the movement of local stock infected or suspected to be infected with disease while under observation, disinfection and treatment;
"trade animal" means cattle, sheep, goat and camel, horse, donkey, pig, intended for slaughter or for use as a pack animal whether coming overland or by air or sea from any place outside Nigeria or purchased in and intended to be moved out of an area; but does not include cattle proceeding to grazing ground, and not intended for sale or for use as pack animals;
"Veterinary Officer" means a Veterinary Surgeon in the service of the Federal, State or Local Government;
"Veterinary Surgeon" means a professional veterinarian duly registered to practise by the Veterinary Council in Nigeria.