Serious risk to animal or public health
31.—(1) Where the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development or the Agency learns or has reasonable grounds to suspect that any food or feed that has been or may be introduced into Northern Ireland from a third country is likely to constitute a serious risk to animal or public health, they each have the power to issue a written declaration suspending or imposing conditions on the introduction into Northern Ireland of any product from the whole or any part of that third country.
(2) Such a declaration shall be published in such manner as the person who issued it thinks fit and shall specify the product and the third country or part thereof concerned.
(3) A declaration which imposes conditions on the introduction of any product from a third country or part thereof shall specify those conditions.
(4) Where a declaration is in force suspending the introduction of any product, a person shall not introduce that product into Northern Ireland if it originates in the third country or part thereof specified in the declaration.
(5) Where a declaration is in force imposing conditions on the introduction of any product, a person shall not introduce that product into Northern Ireland if it originates in the third country or part thereof specified in the declaration unless the product complies with conditions specified in the declaration.
(6) A declaration may be modified, suspended or revoked by a further written declaration published, so far as is practicable, in the same manner and to the same extent as the original declaration.