The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations 1999

Statutory Instruments

1999 No. 400

ANIMALS

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY

The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations 1999

Made

18th February 1999

Laid before Parliament

22nd February 1999

Coming into force

16th March 1999

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State, being Ministers 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, acting jointly, in exercise of the powers conferred upon them by the said section 2(2) and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, make the following Regulations:

Title and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 and shall come into force on 16th March 1999.

Amendment of the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995

2.—(1) The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995(3) shall be amended in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation.

(2) In regulation 14(b) (the slaughter of animals elsewhere than in a slaughterhouse or knacker’s yard) the words “subject to regulation 22,” shall be deleted.

(3) In regulation 22 the words “Schedule 5 (which relates to the stunning and killing of animals)” shall be replaced by the words “The requirement to stun an animal before slaughter in regulation 9(c)”.

(4) In Schedule 12 (additional provisions for slaughter by a religious method) paragraph 8 shall be replaced by the following paragraph:

“Prohibition against slaughter by a religious method elsewhere than in a slaughterhouse

No person shall slaughter any animal by a religious method, or cause or permit any animal to be so slaughtered, elsewhere than in a slaughterhouse licensed under regulation 4 of the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995(4).”.

Elliot Morley

Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

18th February 1999

Sewel

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office

18th February 1999

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

1.  These Regulations amend the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (the 1995 Regulations).

2.  They amend regulations 14 and 22 of and Schedule 12 to the 1995 Regulations, so as to confine religious slaughter, in the case of animals, to licensed slaughterhouses and in the case of birds to slaughterhouses as defined in the 1995 Regulations.

3.  The amendments made by these regulations give effect to article 9(1) of Council Directive 93/119/EC on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing (OJ No. L340, 31.12.93, p.12).

(1)

S.I. 1972/1811.

(2)

1972 c. 68.

(3)

S.I. 1995/731.

(4)

S.I. 1995/539 to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.