Information Session | Animal Disease Control Act – Section 20 Permits & Registration
South Africa is – as we all know – one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. The 1984 Animal Diseases Act helps to ensure the safety of this biodiversity, as well as the nation’s food security and economic status, by providing controls and measures to deal with animal diseases and parasites, and promoting animal health in general.
Section 20 of the Animal Diseases Act permits and registration with the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) are required for collecting animals / animal tissues, as well as microbes. This affects all biobanks and collections dealing with animals, pathogens and vectors, as well as other microbes.
For this reason, members of the Biodiversity Biobanks South Africa (BBSA) community and the wider biobanking community – as well as interested and affected parties – are invited to a presentation by DALRRD officials to learn more about Section 20 permits and registration.
Section 20 Information Session for Biobanks, Museums and Collections Facilities
Date: 3 August 2023
Time: 12h00 – 14h00 (SAST)
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Link: Click here
Agenda
- Opening and Introductions
- Section 20 presentation (Dr De Klerk)
- Import and Export presentation (Path Specimens) (Dr De Wit)
- DEFF regulations and policies on the import and export of Aquatic Species (Dr Tlou Phukubye)
- Questions, Comments, Discussion
- Closing
NOTE: The meeting is intended for members of the biobanking, museums and wider scientific collections community. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and discuss pertinent matters.
About the BBSA
The Biodiversity Biobanks South Africa (BBSA) provides a coordinating structure across several of South Africa’s biodiversity biobanks. The vision of the BBSA is about securing and exploring South Africa’s biodiversity – by increasing the range and quality of samples stored and/or distributed, and increasing and improving access for research and development through a single, centralised data portal, which will also allow more strategic collection of samples.
For further enquiries about the meeting, the BBSA or related matters, please contact Michelle Hamer at m.hamer@sanbi.org.za.
What are biodiversity biobanks?
Biodiversity biobanks are repositories of biologically relevant resources, including reproductive tissues such as seeds, eggs and sperm, other tissues including blood, DNA extracts, microbial cultures (active and dormant), and environmental samples containing biological communities….
