The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

PART 2 CERTIFICATES AND TEMPORARY CERTIFICATES

Requirement for a certificate or temporary certificate

5.—(1) Subject to regulation 36 and Schedule 7, no person may carry out an operation specified in regulation 6 except under and to the extent authorised by a certificate registered with the competent authority or a temporary certificate.

(2) No person may carry out an operation specified in regulation 6 under a temporary certificate unless that person works in the presence, and under the direct supervision of, a person who holds a certificate registered with the competent authority in relation to that operation.

Operations which require a certificate or temporary certificate

6.  The operations referred to in regulation 5 are—

(a) a slaughter operation specified in Article 7(2)(a) to (g);

(b) the pithing of a stunned animal;

(c) the assessment of effective pithing;

(d) supervising the killing of fur animals in accordance with Article 7(3); and

(e) the slaughtering of poultry, rabbits and hares on the farm for the purpose of directly supplying small quantities of meat by the producer to the final consumer or to local retail establishments supplying such meat directly to the final consumer as fresh meat where the number of animals slaughtered on the farm exceeds the maximum number of animals referred to in Article 11.

Certificates

7.  The competent authority shall grant and register a certificate if—

(a) the applicant meets the conditions in regulation 8; and

(b) the competent authority is satisfied the applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a certificate.

Conditions for a certificate

8.  The applicant shall—

(a) not be less than 16 years old;

(b) subject to regulation 36, submit evidence of training and examination in respect of the operation, category of animal and (where appropriate) type of equipment for which a certificate is sought;

(c) submit a written declaration in accordance with Article 21(6); and

(d) provide written details if the applicant has—

(i) been convicted of an offence concerning the welfare of animals;

(ii) been refused a licence under the 1996 Regulations in relation to the killing of an animal or related operation; or

(iii) had any such licence revoked or suspended.

Temporary certificates

9.  The competent authority shall grant a temporary certificate if—

(a) the applicant meets the conditions in regulation 10; and

(b) the competent authority is satisfied the applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a temporary certificate.

Conditions for a temporary certificate

10.  The applicant shall—

(a) not be less than 16 years old;

(b) submit evidence of registration on a training course in respect of the operation, category of animal and (where appropriate) type of equipment for which a temporary certificate is sought;

(c) submit a written declaration in accordance with Article 21(5)(d) and (6); and

(d) provide written details if the applicant has—

(i) been convicted of an offence concerning the welfare of animals;

(ii) been refused a licence under the 1996 Regulations in relation to the killing of an animal or related operation; or

(iii) had any such licence revoked or suspended.

Grant of certificates and temporary certificates

11.—(1) A certificate or temporary certificate shall specify the operation, category of animal and (where appropriate) type of equipment in respect of which it has been granted.

(2) A certificate or temporary certificate may be granted in respect of an operation, category of animal and (where appropriate) type of equipment only if—

(a) in the case of a certificate, the evidence of training and examination submitted with the application for the certificate relates to that operation, category of animal and type of equipment; or

(b) in the case of a temporary certificate, the training course on which the applicant is registered provides training in relation to that operation, category of animal and type of equipment.

(3) Certificates, temporary certificates or licences granted in England, Scotland, Wales or another member State for operations which require a certificate in Northern Ireland under these Regulations shall have effect in Northern Ireland as if they were certificates or temporary certificates granted under these Regulations.