97Impounding beehives—the Act, s 102(2) and (3)

97 Impounding beehives—the Act, s 102(2) and (3)

97 Impounding beehives—the Act, s 102(2) and (3)

(1) An authorised officer may impound beehives in accordance with this section.

(2) The authorised officer may keep the impounded beehives—

(a) on the controlled travelling stock reserve, or

(b) at a place owned or under the control of Local Land Services, or

(c) on other land with the permission of the owner of the land.

(3) The authorised officer must, as soon as practicable after impounding the beehives, make all reasonable inquiries to obtain the name and address of the owner of the beehives.

(4) The authorised officer must inform Local Land Services of the name and address of the owner of the impounded beehives, if known.

(5) If Local Land Services knows the name and address of the owner of impounded beehives, Local Land Services must give the owner written notice that, unless claimed within a specified period after the notice is given, the beehives will be sold or otherwise disposed of.

(6) The specified period must be at least 7 days.

(7) Local Land Services may sell or otherwise dispose of impounded beehives—

(a) if the name and address of the owner of the beehives is not known—7 days after the authorised officer impounds the beehives, or

(b) if notice is given to the owner under subsection (5) and the beehives have not been claimed—after the end of the specified period.

(8) Local Land Services must release the impounded beehives to a person Local Land Services is satisfied is the owner of the beehives, or is authorised by the owner to claim the beehives on the owner’s behalf, if the person—

(a) claims the beehives within the specified period, and

(b) pays the prescribed impounding fee.

(9) The prescribed impounding fee is $200.

(10) In this section—

beehive includes the bees in the beehive.