The Carcase Classification and Price Reporting (England) Regulations 2018

UK Statutory Instrument 2018 No. 1164 — creates 10 criminal offences.

Made

6 November 2018

In force from

3 December 2018

Extent

Not stated

Subject

Agriculture, plant health, food production and rural affairs

Made under

European Communities Act 1972, Schedule 2 to, the 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, which apply in England only, revoke and remake the provisions of the Beef and Pig Carcase Classification (England) Regulations 2010, consequent to the repeal of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1249/2008 (OJ No L 337, 16.12.2008, p 3). The Regulations enforce— Article 10 of, and Annex IV to, Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ No L347, 20.12.2013, p 671), which relate to European Union scales for the classification of carcases; and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1182 (OJ No L171, 4.7.2017, p 74) (the Commission Delegated Regulation); and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1184 (OJ No L171, 4.7.2017, p 103) (the Commission Implementing Regulation) which set out further details regarding the implementation of those scales. The Regulations relate to the carcases of adult bovine animals (being animals aged eight months or more) and pigs. Regulation 6 requires notifications to be made to the Secretary of State by operators of slaughterhouses which slaughter adult bovine animals or pigs. However, the regulations do not apply to small-scale bovine operators slaughtering fewer than 150 adult bovine animals per week as an annual average, unless they choose to classify bovine carcases (regulation 7); or to the operators of slaughterhouses at which fewer than 500 clean pigs per week as an annual average are slaughtered (regulation 13). The Regulations provide for a licensing system for anybody who visually classifies bovine carcases and for the licensing of slaughterhouses using automated grading equipment for classifying such carcases (regulations 9 to 11). Breach of the licensing requirements is an offence (regulation 30). The classification of pig carcases must be carried out using an authorised grading method and grading techniques operated by qualified personnel (regulation 15). Breach of this requirement is an offence (regulation 31). An operator may, instead of marking a pig carcase, keep a record concerning its classification (regulation 16). Operators of approved slaughterhouses are required to keep records relating to bovine and pig carcases respectively (regulations 12 and 17 and Schedules 3 and 4). Part 5 of the Regulations concerns enforcement, and makes provision relating to the powers of authorised officers, enforcement notices, penalty notices and criminal proceedings. Regulations 21(3) and 27 to 33 set out the offences under the Regulations, which are all punishable on summary conviction by a fine, except for offences under regulation 32(2) or (3) (false marks). In particular, regulations 27 and 28 provide that breach of specified provisions of European Union legislation is an offence, namely European beef provisions set out in Schedule 1 and European pig provisions set out in Schedule 2. The provisions specified in Schedules 1 and 2 include requirements for recording and reporting market prices for bovine and pig carcases respectively. A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

Offences created by this instrument

• Enforcement notices regulation 21(3) · Status not determined · Strict liability
• Any person who— a fails to comply with any requirement under a European beef provision, or b contravenes any… regulation 27 · Status not determined · Strict liability
• 1 Any person who— a fails to comply with any requirement under a European pig provision, or b contravenes any… regulation 28(1) · Status not determined · Strict liability
• Any person who fails to comply with any requirement of regulation 6 (notification by operators) is guilty of an offence regulation 29 · Status not determined · Strict liability
• Any person who makes an alteration to a licence granted under regulation 9 or 10 is guilty of an offence regulation 30(3) · Status not determined · Strict liability
• Any person who fails to comply with any requirement of regulation 12 (records: bovine carcases) or regulation 17… regulation 32(1) · Status not determined · Strict liability
• Any person who marks a bovine carcase or part of such a carcase— a as prescribed by Article 8(1), (2)(a), (3)(a) (read… regulation 32(2) · Status not determined · Strict liability
• Any person who marks a pig carcase or part of such a carcase— a as prescribed by Article 8(1), (2)(b), (3)(c) (read… regulation 32(3) · Status not determined · Strict liability
• Any person who— a without reasonable excuse, obstructs any person acting under these Regulations, b without reasonable… regulation 33 · Status not determined · Requires proof of a state of mind
• 1 A person guilty of an offence under— a regulation 21(3) (enforcement notices), b regulation 27 (European beef… regulation 37(1) · Status not determined · Strict liability

What Parliament said about it

Contributions, debates and written statements mentioning this instrument by name. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

• Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025 Lords · Grand Committee · 7 July 2025 · The Earl of Effingham (Con)

  My Lords, these schemes, long established in the aforementioned beef and pork sectors, have provided transparency, accountability and consistency across the market. It is only right that the sheep sector now be afforded the same standards. The proposed regulations, based on the existing Carcase Classification and Price Reporting (England) Regulations 2018, would require regulated slaughterhouses to submit weekly reports detailing price data by carcass classification for individual sheep under 12 months of age. Not only is this move logical, it is also timely. It will enable producers to…

How Parliament handled it

This instrument became law without a debate or a vote. Under the negative procedure it took effect unless a motion to stop it succeeded, and none was tabled.

Procedure

Made negative — law unless a motion to stop it succeeded

Could either House amend it?

No. A statutory instrument is put to each House as a whole thing, to be approved or not. Neither House can change a word of it.

Procedural history

• Instrument created 6 November 2018
• Instrument made (signed into law) 6 November 2018
• Laid before the House of Commons 9 November 2018 · Commons
• Laid before the House of Lords 9 November 2018 · Lords
• Considered by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (SLSC) 26 November 2018 · Lords
• No comment by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (SLSC) 26 November 2018 · Lords
• Considered by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments (JCSI) 28 November 2018 · Commons, Lords
• Not drawn to the special attention of the Houses by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments (JCSI) 28 November 2018 · Commons, Lords
• Instrument comes into force as law 3 December 2018
• Objection period ends 7 January 2019
• Instrument remains law 7 January 2019
• Procedure concluded in the House of Commons and the House of Lords 7 January 2019 · Commons, Lords

From Parliament's Statutory Instruments service. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Check the source

• This instrument on legislation.gov.uk The authoritative text, including amendments made since
• Other instruments from 2018