UK Offence Report

Offences and penalties

regulation 39(1) of The Official Feed and Food Controls (Wales) Regulations 2006 (revoked)

This offence was read from the text as made, and no revised version was available, so a later revocation could not be ruled out. Check the current text at legislation.gov.uk.

What the provision says

1 Any person who—

a contravenes or fails to comply with paragraph (5) of regulation 26, regulation

27 or paragraph (4) or (5) of regulation 33; or

b fails to comply with

a notice served upon that person under the Import Provisions, will be guilty of an offence.

Text as made, from legislation.gov.uk. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This is the text as originally made; later amendments are not shown here.

Who it binds, and what has to be proved

Binds
a person
Conduct
failing to comply with a notice or direction
Fault element
Strict liability
Burden of proof
Legal burden on the defendant

The prosecution must prove that the conduct happened. This is a strict liability offence as drafted: the provision uses no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence, so there is no need to show that a person meant to do it, knew about it, or was careless.

Intention, knowledge and carelessness are irrelevant to guilt. They may still matter a great deal to sentence.

The provision gives a defence the defendant must prove, on the balance of probabilities. A legal burden of that kind can be read down to a merely evidential one under section 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998 where placing it on the defendant would be disproportionate (R v Lambert [2001] UKHL 37; Sheldrake v DPP [2004] UKHL 43).

Classifier’s reasoning: no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence in the offence or its provision; other provisions of the same instrument use a mens rea word while this one does not (the Cundy v Le Cocq contrast).

The defence, as drafted

h (2), be a defence for the accused to prove that he or she took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence by the accused or by a person under his or her control. 2 If in any case the defence provided by paragraph (1) involves the allegation that the commission of the offence was due to an act or default of another person, or

What would breach regulation 39(1)?

These are illustrations, not law. They are generated from the provision’s own words to show the shape of the offence. Whether any particular conduct is caught depends on the full text, on any amendment since, and on the facts.

  1. Being served with a notice under the Official Feed and Food Controls (Wales) Regulations 2006 and doing nothing by the date it specifies.
  2. Doing part of what the notice requires, where it required all of it.
  3. Disagreeing with the notice and ignoring it, rather than using whatever appeal the instrument provides.

Penalty

Mode of trial
Either way — magistrates’ court or Crown Court
Maximum fine
£5,000
Standard scale
Level 5
Maximum prison (summary)
3 months
Maximum prison (on indictment)
2 years

this is the level 5 value when the instrument came into force (2006-03-08); the standard scale is keyed to the date the offence was committed, and for conduct today the same words mean an unlimited fine.

Sentencing

Offences of this kind are usually sentenced under the guidelines below. This is a mapping by subject, not a finding about this provision, and the links go to a search of the Sentencing Council’s own site.

Prosecution figures

No published per-offence figure was found for this provision, and it could not be matched to a Ministry of Justice offence code. Offences created by statutory instrument very largely do not have one. Absence of a figure is not evidence that the offence is unused.

Status and lifecycle

Current status
Status not determined
Made
7 March 2006
In force from
8 March 2006
Extent
Not stated

How this was established: read from the text as made; no revised version available, so later revocation could not be ruled out.

What the instrument is for

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — the explanatory note published with the instrument, © Crown copyright.

These Regulations revoke and re-enact with changes the Official Feed and Food Controls (Wales) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3254 (W.247)). The principal changes are that— the definitions of certain Regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council that are set out in Schedule 1 are updated to take account of certain Commission Regulations that enter into force on and apply from 11 January 2006 and amend the Regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council or as the case may be affect the way they are to be read; the references to the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3292 (W.252)) are replaced with references to the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/31 (W.5)); it is provided that Part 3 (official controls on feed and food of non-animal origin from third countries) does not apply in relation to certain feed additives; and the definition of “relevant feed law” in Schedule 2 is revised. These Regulations, like S.I. 2005/3254 (W.246), which apply in relation to Wales, provide for the execution and enforcement there of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules (OJ No. L165, 30.4.2004, p.1 in relation to “relevant feed law” and “relevant food law”, which terms are defined in Schedules 2 and 3 respectively. The revised text of this Regulation EC/882/2004 is now set out in a Corrigendum, OJ No. L191, 28.5.2004, p.1). These Regulations also impose prohibitions on the introduction of certain feed and certain food into Wales in the light of Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety (OJ No. L31, 1.2.2002, p.1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No. 1642/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ No. L245, 29.9.2003, p.4) and as read with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the hygiene of foodstuffs (OJ No. L139, 30.4.2004, p.1; the revised text of that Regulation is now set out in a Corrigendum, OJ No. L226, 25.6.2004, p.3). These Regulations— provide for the designation of specified bodies as competent authorities for the purposes of the provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 (regulation 3); provide for the exchange and provision of information by competent authorities (regulation 4); enable a competent authority to require a control body to provide information and make records available and provide that a person who— fails to comply with a requirement to provide information or make records available, or in purported compliance with such a requirement furnishes false or misleading information, is guilty of an offence (regulation 5); enable the National Assembly for Wales to issue codes of recommended practice to feed authorities and food authorities (regulation 6); give the Food Standards Agency the function of monitoring the performance of enforcement authorities in enforcing certain legislation (regulation 7); give the Food Standards Agency the power, for the purpose of carrying out the function referred to in sub-paragraph (e) of this paragraph— to require information to be provided and records to be made available (regulation 8); and to authorise individuals (who may thereby exercise certain powers, including a power of entry) (regulation 9); define certain terms used in regulation 7 to 9 of these Regulations (regulation 10); provide that a person who— obstructs a person exercising powers to enter premises, take samples or inspect and copy records, fails to comply with requirements to provide information or make available records or provide facilities, records, information or other assistance, or in purported compliance with such a requirement furnishes false or misleading evidence, will be guilty of an offence (regulation 11); provide a right of appeal in respect of the decision of the competent authority concerning the approval of certain establishments taken under Article 31 of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 (regulations 12 and 13); provide that an authorised officer of a competent authority may take with him or her the staff of the competent authority of another Member State for the purpose of conducting an administrative enquiry under Article 36 of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 (regulation 14); provide that when an “enforcing officer”, defined in regulation 15(2), enters premises for the purpose of executing and enforcing official controls that officer may take with him or her a Commission expert to enable that expert to carry out functions under Article 45 of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 (regulation 15); provide that a person who enters premises under the powers referred to in sub-paragraphs (j) or (k) and discloses any information obtained on the premises with regard to any trade secret is guilty of an offence unless that person does so in the performance of his or her duty (regulation 16); specify which authorities are responsible for executing and enforcing regulations 5(3), 9(8), 11, 16, 18(8) and 19 (regulation 17); provide powers of entry for authorised officers of the authorities referred to in sub-paragraph (m) (regulation 18); create the offence of obstructing an officer acting in the execution of regulation 14, 15 or 18 (regulation 19); provide penalties for offences (regulation 20); provide a time limit for bring prosecutions for offences under regulation 18(8)Part II (regulation 21); make provision for the enforcement and execution of Part III of these Regulations and Articles 15 to 24 of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004, together defined in regulation 23(1) as “the Import Provisions” (regulations 23 and 24); provide that the Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs carry out the functions given to customs services under Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 (regulation 25). make provision for the execution and enforcement of the Import Provisions to be deferred until the product reaches its destination (regulation 26); in the light of Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 as read with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 (as described in paragraph 3 above) prohibit the introduction into Wales of certain feed and certain food unless specified conditions are met (regulation 27); provide for the checking of products introduced into Wales (regulation 28); provide that an enforcement authority has the power to do anything that a competent authority may do under Articles 18 to 21 and 24(3) of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 and is the competent authority for the purposes of Article 22 of that Regulation (regulation 29); provide for the service of notices by an authorised officer of an enforcement authority when that officer wishes to take certain measures or exercise certain powers under Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 (imports of feed and food from third countries) (regulation 30); provide a right of appeal in respect of the service of a notice under regulation 30 (regulations 31 and 32); provide for the National Assembly for Wales or the Agency by written declaration to suspend or impose conditions on the introduction into Wales of any product from a third country where either of them learns or reasonably suspects that any food or feed that has been or may be introduced into Wales from that third country is likely to constitute a serious risk to animal or public health (regulation 33); provide for charges to be payable in relation to controls carried out on consignments (regulation 34); provide for the procurement and analysis of samples of food for the purposes of the execution and enforcement of the “Import Provisions”, defined in regulation 22 (regulations 35 and 36); provide powers of entry for authorised officers of a food authority in relation to the execution and enforcement of the Import Provisions (regulation 37); create the offence of obstructing an officer acting in the execution of the Import Provisions (regulation 38); create offences of contravening or failing to comply with specified regulations and failing to comply with a notice served under the Import Provisions and provide penalties for offences under Part III of these Regulations (regulation 39); provide a time limit for bringing prosecutions for offences under Part III of these Regulations (regulation 40); provide that where the commission of an offence under these Regulations is due to the act or default of some other person that other person is guilty of the offence (regulation 41); provide that in proceedings for an offence under these Regulations it is a defence for the accused to prove that he or she took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence (regulation 42); provide that where an offence under these Regulations which has been committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, an officer of the body corporate or a person purporting to act as such that officer or person as well as the body corporate is deemed to be guilty of that offence and may be proceeded against and punished accordingly (regulation 43); provide that where an offence under these Regulations which has been committed by a Scottish partnership is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, a partner that partner as well as the partnership is deemed to be guilty of that offence and may be proceeded against and punished accordingly (regulation 44); provide for the protection of officers acting in good faith (regulation 45); provide for the service of documents (regulation 46); make a consequential amendment to the Feed (Hygiene and Enforcement) (Wales) Regulations 2005 (W.I. 2005/3368 (W.265)) (“regulation 47”); and revoke the Official Feed and Food Controls (Wales) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3254 (W.247)) (regulation 48). A Regulatory Appraisal on the effect that these Regulations will have on the costs of business has been prepared and placed in the Library of the National Assembly for Wales. Copies may be obtained from the Food Standard Agency, Southgate House, Wood Street, Cardiff CF10 1EW.

Read the full note and every offence in this instrument

Other offences in the same instrument

How this was identified as an offence

Everything above rests on the judgement that this provision creates a criminal offence, rather than mentioning one. That judgement is made by rule, from the words of the provision, and this is the rule that made it — with a confidence of 0.92.

Basis
the provision says a person is “guilty of an offence”
Confidence
0.92 of 1.00

A provision that states a penalty for an offence created elsewhere can read very like one that creates an offence, and the rules can mistake the one for the other. If the text quoted above sets a penalty for something made an offence by another provision, treat the classification on this page with that in mind, and read the instrument.

Check the source