Welfare of Animals (Staging Points) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations make provisions in Northern Ireland for the administration, execution and enforcement of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1255/97 (“the Council Regulation”) concerning Community criteria for staging points and amending the route plan referred to in the Annex to Council Directive 91/628/EEC (O.J. No. L174, 2.7.97, p. 1).

The principal provisions of the Regulations—

(a) designate the Department of Agriculture to be the competent authority for the purpose of approving staging points, and withdrawing, suspending and restoring such approvals, as necessary, in accordance with Articles 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 and 4.2 of the Council Regulation (Regulation 3);

(b) designate the Department of Agriculture to be the competent authority to appoint a veterinary surgeon to exercise the powers contained in Article 6.1 of the Council Regulation (confirmation of route plans where animals leave a staging point) (Regulation 3);

(c) confer on an inspector of the Department of Agriculture the power to serve a notice to protect the welfare of animals that are resting at a staging point in respect of which a notice has been served suspending or revoking its approval (Regulation 4);

(d) confer on an inspector of the Department of Agriculture the power to enter and inspect any land, building or other place for the purpose of ascertaining whether the provisions of these Regulations are being complied with (Regulation 5);

(e) make the contravention of, or failure to comply with, specified provisions of the Council Regulation, and the causing or permitting of such a contravention of, or failure to comply with, such provisions, and the failure to comply with a notice served under Regulation 4 of the Order, an offence and makes provision in relation to penalties (Regulation 6); and

(f) amend Part I of Schedule 7 to the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 by inserting a paragraph requiring that, unless the 24 hour rest period referred to in paragraph 4 of Schedule 7 to the 1997 Order is taken at the place of destination, it must be taken at a staging point approved under Council Regulation (EC) No. 1255/87 (Regulation 7).