The Animals and Animal Products (Examination for Residues and Maximum Residue Limits) Regulations 1997

Keeping and retention of records

32.—(1) A person engaged by way of business in the rearing, production or treatment of animals intended for human consumption, or in a business in the course of which any commercial operation is carried out with respect to animals intended for human consumption, shall keep a record of particulars relating to the administration of any veterinary medicinal product to such animals or batch of animals which record shall be made as soon as practicable after administration and shall include the following information—

(a) date of administration;

(b) identity and quantity of the veterinary medicinal product;

(c) name and address of the supplier of the veterinary medicinal product;

(d) identification of the animal or batch of animals to which the veterinary medicinal product was administered.

(2) The owner of an establishment of initial processing of animal products shall keep such records as are sufficient, either alone or in combination with records or information held by some other person, to enable the animals from which those animal products were derived, and the farm of origin or departure of those animals, to be identified.

(3) The persons referred to in paragraph (1)(b) and sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of paragraph (2) of regulation 4 shall, in relation to hormonal substances and beta-agonists, keep a record in chronological order of—

(a) quantities produced;

(b) quantities purchased or otherwise acquired and from whom each quantity was purchased or acquired;

(c) quantities sold and to whom each quantity was sold; and

(d) quantities used in the production of pharmaceutical or veterinary medicinal products.

(4) Any person required to keep a record by paragraph (1), (2) or (3) above shall keep that record in a permanent and legible form and shall retain that record for a period of three years from the end of the calendar year to which such record relates save in the case of a prescription intended to show that withdrawal periods have been observed which shall be retained for a period of five years from the date of the commencement of the withdrawal period to which it relates.

(5) Subject to paragraph (6) below if an authorised officer directs a person to produce for inspection a record which paragraph (1), (2) or (3) above requires him to keep, he shall comply with the direction.

(6) No direction may be given under paragraph (5) above after the end of the period mentioned in paragraph (4) above.

(7) The requirement in paragraph (4) above to keep records in a legible form is not to be taken to prevent their being kept by means of computer.

(8) Where a record is so kept, the duty under paragraph (5) above to produce it for inspection, is a duty to produce it in a form in which it can be taken away.