The Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) (Charges) Regulations 1998

Charges

3.—(1) The Minister shall, subject to the following provisions of this regulation, notify the occupier of each slaughterhouse, cutting premises and cold store in which inspections have been undertaken in any accounting period of an inspection charge in respect of those inspections as soon as possible after the end of that period.

(2) Where the Minister cannot comply with paragraph (1) above because he has insufficient information available to him to calculate the inspection charge for any accounting period in respect of any place specified in that paragraph, he shall notify the occupier of that place of an interim charge, being such amount as he estimates (having regard to the information he has) the inspection charge to be.

(3) Where the Minister has notified an occupier of an interim charge in accordance with paragraph (2) above, and sufficient information becomes available to him to calculate the inspection charge, he shall calculate that charge and—

(a) where it exceeds the interim charge, notify the occupier of the final charge, being the amount by which the inspection charge exceeds the interim charge; or

(b) where it is less than the interim charge, credit to the occupier the amount by which the interim charge exceeds the inspection charge.

(4) Any charge notified to an occupier under paragraph (1), (2) or (3) above shall be payable by him to the Minister and shall be recoverable on demand by the Minister as a debt from the occupier concerned.

(5) Where at the end of a financial period it is found that in relation to any charge payable by an occupier under this regulation in respect of an accounting period in that financial period (being an accounting period of less than a year) the condition specified in paragraph 4(a)(i) of the Schedule to these Regulations was satisfied, the charges payable by the operator concerned under this regulation in respect of that financial period shall be recalculated as if the Minister had determined an accounting period corresponding with that financial period and any reduction in the inspection charge charged to the occupier resulting from that recalculation shall be credited to him.

(6) For the purposes of this regulation, “financial period” means the period commencing on the Monday immediately following the last Sunday in March in any year and ending on the last Sunday in March in the following year.

(7) Where any agreed PIA costs have been included in the calculation of any charge falling to be notified to an occupier under paragraph (1), (2) or (3) above those costs shall be deducted from the actual charge notified thereunder.

(8) The inspection charge payable by the occupier of—

(a) a wild game processing facility where wild game may be dressed shall be in respect of any wild game dressed there; and

(b) a wild game processing facility where wild game may be cut up shall be in respect of any cutting operation carried out on any wild game there.

(9) In paragraph (8) above, “wild game” and “wild game processing facility” have respectively the same meanings as in regulation 2(1) of the Wild Game Regulations.

(10) Where under paragraph (3)(b) or (5) above a sum is to be credited to an occupier, the Minister may if he so determines pay such sum to the occupier concerned instead of crediting it to him.