These Regulations may be cited as the Registration of Establishments Keeping Laying Hens (Scotland) Regulations 2003 and shall come into force on 31st December 2003.

These Regulations extend to Scotland only.

In these Regulations–

Any reference in these Regulations to anything done in writing or produced in written form includes a reference to an electronic communication as defined in the Electronic Communications Act 2000 M1, which has been recorded and is consequently capable of being reproduced.

The Scottish Ministers shall set up and maintain a register of establishments.

The Scottish Ministers shall, within 21 days of receipt of an application which complies with regulation 5(1) below, record the establishment to which the application refers on the register, allocate to that establishment a distinguishing number in accordance with F12paragraph (4), record that number on the register and intimate that number in writing to the owner or keeper who made the application.

The distinguishing number must be composed of the appropriate farming method code, determined in accordance with paragraphs (6) to (8), followed by the letters “UK”, followed by a unique identification number allocated to the establishment by the Scottish Ministers.

Where it appears appropriate to the Scottish Ministers to do so, the Scottish Ministers may add further characters to the unique identification number required by paragraph (4), including characters which identify single flocks kept in separate buildings of an establishment.

Except where paragraph (7) applies, when the farming method in column A is used, the appropriate farming method code is the corresponding number in column B.

Where the farming method used in the establishment produces eggs under the conditions set out in Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91, the appropriate farming method code is “0”.

For the purposes of paragraph (6), the farming method used in an establishment is to be determined in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 589/2008 laying down detailed rules for implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards marketing standards for eggs.

An application for registration shall be made in writing by the owner or the keeper of an establishment, in such form as the Scottish Ministers may require and shall contain the information set out in F14the schedule.

Any change to the information submitted in the application for registration under paragraph (1) above shall be notified to the Scottish Ministers by the person who submitted the application for registration in such form as the Scottish Ministers may require within 28 days of the change to that information F4; except where that person is no longer the owner or keeper of the establishment, in which case any such change shall be so notified by the person who is the owner or keeper.

If an establishment ceases to be used for the keeping of laying hens, the Scottish Ministers shall remove that establishment from the register and shall notify the person registered as the owner and, where appropriate, the person registered as the keeper of that establishment of their decision to do so.

F5If a person is required by regulation 5(2) to notify a change of information and fails to do so, the Scottish Ministers may remove the relevant establishment from the register and shall notify the person registered as the owner, and, where appropriate, the person registered as the keeper of that establishment of their decision to do so.

It shall be an offence for a person to use an establishment for the keeping of laying hens following removal of that establishment from the register of establishments unless subsequent to that removal the establishment has been registered in accordance with these Regulations and a distinguishing number has been allocated to that establishment.

It shall be an offence for a person to continue to use an establishment for the keeping of laying hens after 31 December 2003 unless an application has been made by that date to the Scottish Ministers for registration in accordance with regulation 5 above in respect of that establishment.

It shall be an offence for a person to commence to use premises as an establishment for the keeping of laying hens after 31 December 2003 unless those premises have been registered in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations, and F7the Scottish Ministers have allocated to that establishment a distinguishing number under regulation 4(2) above.

Any person affected by any decision made by the Scottish Ministers under these Regulations may, no later than 14 days following the date of that decision, apply in writing to the Scottish Ministers in such form and in such manner as they think fit to have that decision reviewed by persons appointed by the Scottish Ministers, but an application for review under this paragraph shall not have the effect of suspending the decision which is the subject of the application for review.

Where an application is made under paragraph (1) above, the Scottish Ministers shall appoint such persons as they consider appropriate to review the decision and the persons so appointed shall review the decision and may consider any document or evidence produced by the affected person or the Scottish Ministers and may hear any representations from the affected person (in person or through a representative) and on behalf of the Scottish Ministers.

In coming to a decision in accordance with paragraph (3) above, the Scottish Ministers must have regard to the finding and recommendation reported to them by the persons appointed under paragraph (2) above and give their decision in writing.

An officer authorised by the Scottish Ministers or a local authority subject to a direction of the Scottish Ministers under regulation 13(2) below shall, on producing if required to do so some duly authenticated document showing the authority of that officer, have the right at all reasonable hours to enter any land or premises (other than dwelling houses not being used in connection with these Regulations) for the purposes of ascertaining whether there is or has been on or in respect of the land or premises any contravention of these Regulations.

Such an officer shall have powers to carry out all checks and examinations necessary for the enforcement of these Regulations, and in particular may examine documentary or data processing material.

Nothing in paragraph (1)(b) above shall be construed as requiring any person to answer any question or give any information if to do so might incriminate that person.

A person guilty of an offence under these Regulations, except regulation 11, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

A person guilty of an offence under regulation 11 shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

Where an offence under these Regulations is committed by a body corporate or a partnership and is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of any director, manager, secretary or similar officer of the body corporate, or any person who was purporting to act in any such capacity (or in the case of a partnership, a partner or a person who was purporting to act as such), that officer or person as well as the body corporate or the partnership, as the case may be, shall be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, the provisions of paragraph (2) above shall apply in relation to the acts and defaults of a member in connection with the members' functions of management as if the member were a director of the body corporate.

Subject to paragraph (2) below, these Regulations shall be enforced by the Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Ministers may direct, in relation to cases of a particular description or a particular case, that any duty imposed on them under paragraph (1) above shall be discharged by a local authority.