Kyrgyzstan has toughened penalties for violations of rules in veterinary care, animal handling, animal-based product processing, and environmental protection. President Sadyr Japarov signed the corresponding law.
Under the new law, individuals face substantial fines from 5,600 to 20,000 soms for violating sanitary standards during the sale of meat, milk, and other animal-based products, as well as during the transporting, slaughter, and keeping animals. For companies, fines can reach up to 65,000 soms.
Specifically, the law establishes liability for:
- Slaughtering animals in unauthorized places,
- Selling meat without meeting sanitary standards,
- Improper disposal of animal carcasses and biological waste,
- Concealing outbreaks of dangerous livestock diseases,
- Violating transportation and animal identification regulations,
- Improper storage and use of veterinary drugs.
The law also increases fines for forest law violations:
- Up to 25,000 soms for illegal logging, grazing livestock in forests without permission, or unauthorized construction within forest reserves;
- Up to 65,000 soms for repeat violations.
Additionally, the law introduces measures to protect water resources and aquaculture (fish farming). High fines are imposed for interfering with fish habitats, introducing new species without scientific justification, and violating sanitary standards in fish farms.
Most of the provisions will take effect 10 days after the law’s official publication. Some measures, such as those governing construction without meeting sanitary requirements, will come into force in a year.
