UK Offence Report

Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (revoked)

Northern Ireland Statutory Rule 2000 No. 270 — creates 2 criminal offences.

2offences created
0recorded in force
0revoked
Made
18 September 2000
In force from
16 October 2000
Extent
Not stated
Subject
TV licensing, fare evasion and school attendance
Made under
European Communities Act 1972, Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 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 revoke and replace with amendments the Welfare of Livestock Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 and the Welfare of Livestock (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998. They implement as respects Northern Ireland— Council Directive 88/166/EEC laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens kept in battery cages (O.J. No. L74, 19.3.88, p. 83); Council Directive 91/629/EEC laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves (O.J. No. L340, 11.12.91, p. 28), as amended by Council Directive 97/2/EC (O.J. No. L25, 28.1.97, p. 24) and Commission Decision 97/182/EC (O.J. No. L76, 24.2.97, p. 30); Council Directive 91/630/EEC laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs (O.J. No. L340, 11.12.91, p. 33); and Council Directive 98/58/EC concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes (O.J. No. L221, 8.8.98, p. 23). The Regulations (and the Community legislation which they implement) reflect the obligations contained in the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes of 10th March 1976, as read with the Protocol of Amendment to the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes of 6th February 1992 (both may be purchased from the Stationery Office Bookshop, 16 Arthur Street, Belfast BT1 4GD). The Regulations apply to all animals kept for farming purposes (subject to certain limited exceptions) (regulation 2(4)). Regulation 3(1) lays down the general principle that owners and keepers of animals kept for farming purposes must take reasonable steps to ensure the welfare of animals in their care and to prevent them any unnecessary pain, suffering or injury. This principle applies to all animals (including fish, reptiles and amphibians). The Regulations also provide for general requirements which apply in the case of all farmed animals (other than fish, reptiles and amphibians) (regulation 3(2) and Schedule 1) and for sets of specific additional requirements which apply in the cases of laying hens (regulation 4 and Schedule 2), poultry other than laying hens (regulation 5 and Schedule 3), calves (regulation 6 and Schedule 4), cattle (regulation 7 and Schedule 5), pigs (regulation 8 and Schedule 6) and rabbits (regulation 9 and Schedule 7). Regulation 10 contains provision to ensure that those in charge of animals have access to copies of the relevant statutory welfare codes and are acquainted with those codes. Regulation 11 provides for the service of enforcement notices requiring action to be taken to deal with any breach of the Regulations and regulation 12 provides for a power of entry for persons authorised by the European Commission for the purpose of enforcing Community legislation. Under regulation 13(1), any contravention of the Regulations is an offence against section 2(1) of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. A person guilty of an offence under that section is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale (currently, £2,500) or both. Regulation 14 contains provision for the Department to issue or amend Statutory welfare codes to ensure compliance on the part of owners and keepers of animals with the requirements of the relevant Community legislation.

Offences created by this instrument

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.

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