Livestock Rearing Act 1951

7 Extension of power to make regulations for control of rams. U.K.

(1) The power conferred on the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries by subsection (1) of section eighteen of the principal Act to make regulations for controlling the keeping of rams and uncastrated ram lambs on land in England or Wales shall extend—

(a) to the making of regulations—

(i) providing for the seizure and, if thought desirable, the sale of any ram or uncastrated ram lamb found upon any land in contravention of provisions of regulations having effect by virtue of paragraph (a) or (b) of that subsection;

(ii) enabling the court by or before whom a person is convicted of the offence of permitting the ram or lamb to be upon that land in contravention as aforesaid, if satisfied that he was the owner of the ram or lamb at the time of the seizure, to direct that the whole or part of the proceeds of the sale of the ram or lamb shall be applied in or towards the satisfaction of any fine imposed on that person for that offence; and

(iii) providing, subject as aforesaid, for the return of the ram or lamb or, as the case may be, of the proceeds of the sale thereof to such person as may prove that he was the owner of the ram or lamb at the time of the seizure;

(b) to the making of regulations providing,—

(i) in the case of a person’s being, by virtue of provisions of regulations having effect by virtue of paragraph (a) of the said subsection (1), prohibited from permitting a ram or lamb to be on any land in any area because of a refusal to approve the ram or lamb as being suitable for the purpose of breeding from the flocks from time to time on that land or because of the ram or lamb being declared to be not so suitable; and

(ii) in the case of the service upon a person, under provisions of regulations having effect by virtue of paragraph (e) of that subsection, of a requisition for the slaughter or castration of a ram or lamb;

for the inspection of the ram or lamb by one or more referees appointed by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries if an application in that behalf is made by the person in question in such manner and within such period as may be specified in the regulations and on payment of such fee, if any, as may be so specified, and, if such an application is so made, for approval to be given, or to continue to be refused, or the declaration or requisition to be confirmed or withdrawn, as the case may be, in accordance with recommendations contained in a report made by the referee or referees.

(2) Where regulations made under subsection (1) of the said section eighteen contain provisions enabling a person upon whom a requisition for the slaughter or castration of a ram or lamb is served under regulations so made to apply for a referee’s inspection of the ram or lamb, no such requisition so served shall take effect until either the time within which an application for such an inspection may be made has expired or, if such an application is duly made, until the applicant has been notified of a decision to confirm the requisition.