33   When may a responsible authority impound bees or beehives placed or kept on a controlled travelling stock reserve?

(1)  For the purposes of section 125 (2) of the Act, an authorised officer of a responsible authority impounds bees or beehives placed or being kept on a controlled travelling stock reserve by taking possession of the bees or beehives. The bees or beehives continue to be impounded until released or disposed of in accordance with this clause.

(2)  The authorised officer may detain bees or beehives that are impounded at the place where they were impounded or may remove them to any land under agistment or to some other place owned or under the control of the responsible authority and detain them at that place.

(3)  As soon as practicable after an authorised officer impounds bees or beehives under this clause, the authorised officer is to make all reasonable inquiries to find the name and address of the person who owns the bees or beehives.

(4)  If the authorised officer knows or finds out the name and address of the owner, the responsible authority is to notify the owner in writing that the bees or beehives have been impounded and that unless they are claimed within a period stated in the notice (ending not less than 7 days after the notice is given) they will be sold or otherwise disposed of.

(5)  A responsible authority may sell or otherwise dispose of bees or beehives that have been impounded:

(a)  if the name and address of the owner is not known or cannot be found out—7 days after the bees or beehives were impounded, or

(b)  if an impounding notice is given to the owner—if at the end of the period stated in the notice the bees or beehives have not been claimed.

(6)  The responsible authority is to release the bees or beehives if a person whom the authority is satisfied on reasonable grounds is the owner (or is authorised to claim them on the owner’s behalf) claims the bees or beehives within the period stated in the notice unless it declines to do so under section 125 (3) of the Act.

Note. A responsible authority may decline to release impounded bees or beehives if the prescribed impounding fee is not paid.

(7)  For the purposes of section 125 (3) of the Act, the prescribed impounding fee is $200.

(8)  In this clause:

impounding notice means a notice given under subclause (4).