The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health Fees etc.) Regulations 2019

Powers of enforcement officers

12.—(1) An enforcement officer may—

(a) make any enquiries, observe any activity or process, and take photographs;

(b) inspect any article, container, plant, equipment or records of any class which appear to the enforcement officer to be relevant for the purposes of the investigation, and make or require copies of such records and remove such records as may reasonably be required;

(c) mark any item for identification purposes;

(d) require the production of any label, document or record (in whatever form it is held);

(e) inspect and take a copy of, or take a copy of an extract from, any label, document or record;

(f) have access to, and inspect and check the data on, and operation of, any computer;

(g) if the enforcement officer has reason to believe that a person is in contravention of these Regulations or the EU Official Controls Regulations, and that the data may be relevant to the contravention, seize and detain any computer equipment for the purpose of copying the data or, where it has not been possible to carry out adequate inspection on the premises, of further inspection;

(h) if the enforcement officer has reason to believe that a person is in contravention of these Regulations or the EU Official Controls Regulations, and that certain records may be relevant to the contravention, seize and detain the records.

(2) An enforcement officer must—

(a) produce evidence of authorisation when requested to do so;

(b) as soon as reasonably possible—

(i) provide to the person appearing to be responsible for any records removed from any premises a written receipt identifying those records; and

(ii) after deciding that they are no longer required, return anything removed, apart from records or other things to be used as evidence in court proceedings.