In this Scheme, any word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act and the Regulations shall have that meaning and, unless the context otherwise indicated—

"animal"

means a kind of animal or an animal of a specified breed of such kind of animal which has in terms of section 2 been declared as an animal for the purposes of the Act;

"animal breeders' society"

means a group of persons promoting the breeding, the recording or registration, the genetic improvement and the use of a kind of animal or an animal of a specified breed of such kind of animal, determining and applying breed standards, recommending in its sole discretion the recording or registration of an animal or a specified breed of a kind of animal bred in or imported into the Republic, and who is registered in terms of section 8(7)(a)(i) of the Act;

"animal improvement"

means the—

"breed"

means a population of animals which produces progeny possessing a high degree of genetic stability as evidenced by identifiable uniformity in breed standards and performance;

"breeder"

means the owner of a breeding female animal at the time of natural or artificial conception or at the birth of progeny;

"centre"

means premises registered in terms of section 8(6)(b) of the Act for the collection, evaluation, processing, packing, labelling, storing and sale of semen, embryos or ova, as the case may be, of certain kinds of animal;

"department"

means the Department of Agriculture in the national government;

"donor animal"

means an animal which has been approved in terms of section 8(6)(c) of the Act for the collection of genetic material;

"genetic material"

means ova, embryos, semen and any other material originating from an animal through which the hereditary factors of such animal can be transferred;

"integrated registration and genetic information system" (INTERGIS)

means the computer system that has been established in co-operation with the Department to integrate the pedigrees and performance data of animals and serve as the National Databank for animal recording and improvement;

"landrace"

means a specified breed of a kind of animal indigenous to or developed in the Republic;

"Manager"

means an officer appointed to manage a Scheme as per section 20(3)(a) and (b) of the Act;

"registering authority"

means an animal breeders’ society or a group of animal breeders’ societies which is registered as such in terms of section 8(7)(a)(ii) of the Act;

"Scheme"

means a Scheme established in terms of section 20 of the Act;

"the Act"

means the Animal Improvement Act (Act No. 62 of 1998);

"the Registrar"

means the officer designated as Registrar of Animal Improvement in terms of section 3 of the Act; and

"the Regulation"

means a regulation made under this Act.