TITLE 2: NATURAL RESOURCES
DIVISION 5: ANIMALS, PLANTS AND FOOD
§ 5321. Purpose and Objectives. (a) The purpose of this article is to: (1) Establish a well-defined system of animal quarantine, inspection procedures, and disease control activities to provide for the sound protection of domestic animals, poultry and birds, as well as pet animals and the public health; (2) Provide the procedures for the prevention, control and eradication of certain diseases of domestic animals, birds and poultry; and (3) To protect the agricultural and general well-being of the people of the Northern Marianas by preventing the introduction of and further spread of exotic animals, animal diseases, and other pests into and within the Northern Marianas. (b) By establishing a sound system of animal quarantine and inspection procedures, costly and devastating diseases of animals such as brucellosis, tuberculosis, scabies, scrapie, exotic Newcastle disease, swine vesicular disease, hog cholera, African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, equine infectious anemia and other diseases of economic importance can be effectively prevented from being introduced. (c) Animal diseases of great public health significance, such as brucellosis, tuberculosis, certain tapeworms and rabies, can also be prevented from being introduced into the Commonwealth by establishing an effective and sound system of animal quarantine. It is imperative to provide such a system if rabies, an invariably fatal disease of man and most mammals, is to be kept completely out of the Commonwealth. (d) In order to assure the continuing success of an animal quarantine system, regulations are necessary for the reporting of animal diseases, control of movement of animals and animal products into and within the Commonwealth, mandatory inspection of imported animals and animal products, and imposition of appropriate quarantine measures on animals, herds or flocks and affected and adjacent herds, flocks, or premises, and island or islands. Source: PL 4-55, § 1 (§ 5321).