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Owners and occupiers of food premises are required to notify the
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and not the local authority, of
any infestation on their premises which involves an immediate or
potential risk of substantial loss of, or damage to, food. This provision
relieves the occupier from the duty of dual notification, the local
authority being informed by the Minister of all such notifications where
the infestation is by, or includes, rats or mice.
The Act places for the first time a duty on the owners as well as on
the occupiers of premises, according to the nature of their interest,
thus removing the former serious impediment which was inseparable
from the sole duty being upon occupiers, with limitation to the steps
which it was reasonably practicable for them to take. Formal notice may
be served on owners and occupiers of property requiring them to comply
with requirements in conformity with the general duty on local authorities
to secure that their districts, so far as practicable, are kept free from
rats and mice. Notices may specify methods to be used for destruction
of pests and for the execution of structural work.
There is one exception to the principle that the owner or occupier
has a right to arrange for the destruction of rats or mice on his property
and that this is where the local authority is satisfied that rats or mice
are present in substantial numbers in a group of separately occupied
premises in a "block" and that the service of notices giving to each
individual occupier a reasonable period within which to effect a
satisfactory clearance would not be effective. In this event the " block "
can be treated as a unit, the local authority taking the necessary measures
after service of notice on each occupier.
Penalties are provided for failure to comply with the provisions
of the Act.
The Act also requires the submission of reports to the Minister
as directed and a copy of the first report submitted to the Minister
covering the period March 31 to December 31 is shown in the following
table:—