Wild Game Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Northern Ireland Statutory Rule 1997 No. 496 — creates 2 criminal offences.

2offences created

0recorded in force

0revoked

Made: 13 November 1997
In force from: 8 December 1997
Extent: Not stated
Subject: Food, consumer protection, trading standards, product safety and age-restricted sales
Made under: European Communities Act 1972

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — published with the instrument by the department that made it. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

These Regulations give effect, in part, to Council Directive 92/45/EEC (O.J. No. L.268, 14.9.92, p. 35) on public health and animal health problems relating to the killing of wild game and the placing on the market of wild game meat. The Regulations require all wild game processing facilities which consign, or sell for consignment, wild game meat to another EEA State to be licensed by the Department. Such a licence will be issued if the premises comply with the prescribed requirements as to structure and hygiene or if a work plan aimed at achieving compliance with those requirements has been agreed between the occupier of the premises and the Department (regulation 3). Premises which are already licensed under either the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations(Northern Ireland) 1997 or the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 will not need to comply separately with the structural requirements contained in Schedule 1. A licence may be refused or granted subject to conditions (regulation 3) or revoked (regulation 4), with a right of appeal. There will be veterinary supervision of all licensed premises. The Department will appoint designated Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs) and inspectors to supervise licensed premises (regulation 6). The Department may revoke or suspend the designation of an OVS who is deemed to be unfit to perform his duties (regulation 7). OVSs of the Department may prohibit the use of equipment or the use of part of the premises or reduce the rate of operations, and a person aggrieved by such a decision may appeal (regulation 8). The Department may also authorise persons employed at the premises to act as PIAs and may also revoke and suspend such authorisations (regulation 9). The health mark is to be applied to all wild game meat produced in licensed premises which is fit for human consumption. Only persons acting under the responsibility of the OVS may apply the health mark or possess or use the health mark equipment (regulation 10). Times of operation of licensed premises are controlled (regulation 11). Subject to certain exceptions, wild game meat may not be consigned or sold for consignment to a relevant EEA State for human consumption unless it has been obtained from licensed premises or from a cold store or re-wrapping centre and been health marked; has met certain conditions regarding killing; has met the hygiene requirements specified in the Schedules; and is accompanied during transportation from licensed premises or from a cold store or re-wrapping centre by a commercial document or health certificate (regulation 12). Except in specific circumstances (where a health certificate is appropriate), the wild game meat is to be accompanied by a commercial document. The Department must keep records in respect of inspections (regulation 14) and the occupier of the premises must also keep specified records (regulation 15). The Regulations also— a specify the duties of occupiers (regulation 15); b create offences and prescribe penalties (regulation 16); c apply various provisions of the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (regulation 17); d specify the enforcement authorities (regulation 18); e make provision for wild game meat imported from Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (regulation 19); and f amend specified Regulations (regulation 20).

Offences created by this instrument

If any person contravenes— a regulation 8(1); or b regulation 11(1), he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be… regulation 16(1) · Status not determined · Strict liability
If any person contravenes— a any other provision of these Regulations; or b a condition imposed by the Department… regulation 16(2) · Status not determined · Strict liability

What Parliament said about it

Hansard was searched for this instrument by name and returned nothing. That is the ordinary outcome: an instrument laid under the negative procedure is usually never debated, and becomes law without a word said about it in either House.

How Parliament handled it

Parliament's Statutory Instruments service records procedure from May 2017 onwards, and this instrument predates it. That is a limit of the source, not a statement that nothing happened.

Check the source

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Other instruments from 1997