The Beef Special Premium Regulations 1993

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations which apply in Great Britain come into force on 1st August 1993. They make provision for the administration and enforcement of the provisions for payment of premia for producers of male bovine animals, under Articles 4b and 4h of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 805/68 and other relevant provisions in Commission Regulations (EEC) Nos. 3886/92 and 3887/92 (which are all defined in regulation 2(1))

The Regulations–

(a) specify that the national administrative document referred to in Article 3 of Commission Regulation 3886/92 shall take the form of a document accompanying each animal and make provision for the issue of such documents by the appropriate Minister (regulation 3);

(b) prohibit the sale, offer or exposure for sale or possession for sale of an animal over three months old unless it is accompanied by a national administrative document or, in the case of an animal imported into Great Britain during the three months preceding such sale, a document or evidence of the type specified (regulation 4);

(c) require the surrender to the appropriate Minister of a national administrative document on the death (however caused), loss, theft or export of an animal and make provision for the issue of a duplicate of such document in specified circumstances (regulation 5);

(d) make provision for the issue of a duplicate or replacement national administrative document by the appropriate Minister in specified circumstances (regulation 6);

(e) make provision for the making of applications for first premium and second premium (regulations 7 and 8);

(f) enable an applicant to set the starting date for the commencement of the retention period (regulation 9);

(g) require an applicant to retain specified records and other documents (regulation 10);

(h) confer on authorised persons powers of entry and inspection as well as powers of seizure and retention of records and require that such assistance be given to them as they may reasonably request (regulations 11 and 12);

(i) specify circumstances in which premium paid to an applicant may be recovered by the appropriate Minister and prescribe the rate of interest payable on amounts recovered in specified circumstances (regulations 13 and 14); and

(j) create offences, prescribe penalties, specify time limits for bringing prosecutions and make provision for dealing with offences committed by corporate bodies and Scottish partnerships (regulations 15 to 18).