Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2004 No. 209

WELFARE OF ANIMALS

Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Made

5th May 2004

Coming into operation –

Regulations 2(3) and 2(1) (to the extent that it applies to regulation 2(3))

15th June 2005

Remainder of these Regulations

15th June 2004

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, being a Department designated(1) for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972(2) in relation to the common agricultural policy of the European Community, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by the said section 2(2), hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004.

(2) Regulation 2(3) and regulation 2(1) (to the extent that it applies to regulation 2(3)) come into operation on 15th June 2005.

(3) The remainder of these Regulations come into operation on 15th June 2004.

(4) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(3) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Amendment of the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

2.—(1) The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(4) are amended in accordance with the remaining paragraphs.

(2) In Schedule 1 (the licensing of slaughtermen), the following is added after sub-paragraph 9(2) –

“(3) Any person whose licence has been suspended or revoked under sub-paragraph (1) shall, whether or not that suspension or revocation is the subject of an appeal pursuant to paragraph 11, surrender it to the Department within 14 days of receipt of a notice informing them of the suspension or revocation”.

(3) In Schedule 4 (restraint of animals before stunning, slaughter or killing), the following is substituted for sub-paragraph 6(2)(c) –

“(c) no bird is suspended for more than 3 minutes in the case of a turkey or 2 minutes in other cases before being stunned or killed”.

(4) In Schedule 6 (bleeding or pithing of animals), sub-paragraphs 2(3) and 2(4) are deleted.

(5) In Schedule 9 (slaughter or killing methods for the purpose of disease control), the following is added after sub-paragraph 2(f) –

“(g) for birds, a pneumatic or cartridge operated percussive device producing immediate death, provided that nothing more is done to a bird before it has been ascertained that the bird is dead”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on 5th May 2004.

L.S.

David Small

Senior Officer of the

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

1.  These Regulations amend the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (“the 1996 Regulations”). The 1996 Regulations give effect to Council Directive 93/119/EC on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing (O.J. No. L340, 31.12.93, p. 21). These Regulations amend Schedules 1, 4, 6 and 9 to the 1996 Regulations.

2.  The amendment to Schedule 1 requires the holder of a licence which has been suspended or revoked to surrender the licence to the Department.

3.  The amendment to Schedule 4 shortens the time that birds can be suspended before being stunned or killed. This measure does not come into operation until 15th June 2005.

4.  The amendments to Schedule 6 remove the requirement that certain animals are not bled within sight of any other such animals.

5.  The amendment to Schedule 9 permits the use of pneumatic or cartridge operated percussive devices producing immediate death for the slaughter or killing of birds for the purpose of disease control.

(1)

S.I. 2000/2812

(2)

1972 c. 68

(3)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.)

(4)

S.R. 1996 No. 558 as amended by S.R. 2000 No. 76, S.R. 2001 No. 66 and S.R. 2002 No. 304