UK Offence Report

Control of animal feeds containing undesirable substances

regulation 15(2) of The Animal Feed (Composition, Marketing and Use) (Wales) Regulations 2016

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

2 A person who places on the market or uses any complementary feed commits an offence if—

a having regard to the quantity of it recommended for use in

a daily ration, it contains any undesirable substance listed in column

1 of Annex I in excess of the maximum content specified for it in column

3 in relation to complete feeds; and

b there is no provision relating to any complementary feed in the corresponding entry in column

2 of that Annex.

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 This is the text as originally made; later amendments are not shown here.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
selling or supplying something the instrument restricts
Fault element
Strict liability
Burden of proof
No statutory defence — prosecution proves everything

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 states no defence, so the prosecution bears the burden on every element of the offence.

Classifier’s reasoning: no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence in the offence or its provision.

What would breach regulation 15(2)?

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. On these words an offence is committed where a person places on the market or uses any complementary feed.
  2. Selling the goods under the Animal Feed (Composition, Marketing and Use) (Wales) Regulations 2016 where the instrument prohibits the sale outright.
  3. Supplying without carrying out a check the instrument requires first, even where the sale would otherwise be lawful.
  4. Offering for sale counts as well as selling: displaying stock is enough where the provision reaches an offer.

Penalty

Mode of trial
Not determined
Maximum fine
Not determined
Maximum prison (summary)
Not determined

no penalty is stated in this instrument; it may be in the enabling Act, or in a general penalties provision this pass did not connect to the offence.

No penalty was determined from this instrument. It may be in the enabling Act, or in a general penalties provision this pass did not connect to the offence. Absence of a figure here is not evidence that the offence carries no penalty.

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
15 March 2016
In force from
12 May 2016
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, which apply in relation to Wales only — a provide for the continuing enforcement or implementation of EU Regulations and Directives on feed safety, genetically modified feed, feed additives, the marketing and use of feed, undesirable substances (contaminants) in feed and feed for particular nutritional purposes; b provide for ambulatory references to the EU instruments specified in regulation 2(3); c prescribe offences and penalties for failure to comply with the Regulations; and d revoke or make consequential amendments to certain Regulations. In Part 2 these Regulations provide for the enforcement of specified provisions 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 L 31, 1.2.2002, p 1) by making it an offence to contravene those provisions (regulation 4) and by designating the competent authorities for the purposes of that EU instrument (regulation 5). In Part 3 these Regulations provide for the enforcement of specified provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on genetically modified food and feed (OJ No L 268, 18.10.2003, p 1) (regulations 7 and 8). In Part 4 these Regulations provide for the enforcement of specified provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on additives for use in animal nutrition (OJ No L 268, 18.10.2003, p 29) (regulation 10). In Part 5 these Regulations provide for the enforcement of Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the placing on the market and use of feed, amending European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 and repealing Council Directive 79/373/EEC, Commission Directive 80/511/EEC, Council Directives 82/471/EEC, 83/228/EEC, 93/74/EEC, 93/113/EC and 96/25/EC and Commission Decision 2004/217/EC (OJ No L 229, 1.9.2009, p 1) (regulations 12 and 13 and Schedule 1). In Part 6 these Regulations implement Directive 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on undesirable substances in animal feed (OJ No L 140, 30.5.2002, p 10) (regulations 14 and 15). In Part 7 these Regulations implement Commission Directive 2008/38/EC establishing a list of intended uses of animal feedingstuffs for particular nutritional purposes (OJ No L 62, 6.3.2008, p 9), (regulation 16 and 17). In Part 8 these Regulations prescribe the maximum penalties that a court may impose on conviction for an offence under these Regulations (regulation 18) and designate local feed authorities as having the duty to enforce (regulation 19). In Part 9 these Regulations make consequential amendments to the Official Feed and Food controls (Wales) Regulations 2009 (regulation 20) and revoke wholly or partially certain instruments (regulation 21 and Schedule 2). The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations. A copy can be obtained from the Food Standards Agency at Food Standards Agency Wales, 11th Floor, Southgate House, Wood Street, Cardiff, CF10 1EW or from the Agency’s website at www.food.gov.uk/wales.

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 “commits 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