1. The title of these Regulations is the Bovine Products (Restriction on Placing on the Market) (Wales) (No. 2) Regulations 2005, they apply in relation to Wales and come into force on 1 January 2006.
2.—(1) In these Regulations—
“the Agency” (“yr Asiantaeth”) means the Food Standards Agency;
“animal feed” (“bwyd anifeiliad”) and “human food” (“bwyd i bobl”) have the meanings that they respectively bear in Regulation 999/2001;
“authorised officer” (“swyddog awdurdodedig”), in relation to the relevant enforcement authority, means any person (whether or not an officer of the authority) who is authorised by it in writing, either generally or specially, to act in matters arising under these Regulations and in relation to—
a slaughterhouse,
a cutting plant,
an establishment to which Chapter I of Section V of Annex III to Regulation 853/2004 applies, and
an establishment at which meat products are produced,
includes an official veterinarian and an official auxiliary;
“bovine animal” (“anifail buchol”) includes—
buffalo of the species Bubalus bubalis; and
Bison bison;
“cutting plant” (“safle torri”) means an establishment which is used for boning and/or cutting up fresh meat for placing on the market as defined in Article 3.8 of Regulation 178/2002 and which—
is approved or conditionally approved under Article 31.2 of Regulation 882/2004; or
(although lacking the approval or conditional approval that it requires under Article 4.3 of Regulation 853/2004) was, on 31 December 2005, operating as licensed cutting premises under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995(1);
“cutting up” (“torri”) has the meaning that it bears in Regulation 853/2004;
“Decision 2005/598”, Directive 2004/41”, “Regulation 999/2001”, “Regulation 178/2002”, “Regulation 852/2004”, “Regulation 853/2004”, “Regulation 854/2004”, “Regulation 882/2004”, “Regulation A”, “Regulation B”, “Regulation C”, “Regulation D” and “Regulation E” (“Cyfarwyddeb 2004/41”, “Penderfyniad 2005/98”, “Rheoliad 999/2001”, “Rheoliad 178/2002”, “Rheoliad 852/2004”, “Rheoliad 853/2004”, “Rheoliad 854/2004”, “Rheoliad 882/2004”, “Rheoliad A”, “Rheoliad B”, “Rheoliad C”, “Rheoliad D” a “Rheoliad E”) have the meanings respectively given to them in the Schedule;
“establishment” (“sefydliad”) has the meaning given in Article 2.1(c) of Regulation No. 852/2004;
“fertilisers” (“gwrteithiau”) has the meaning given to it in Article 3.1(k) of Regulation 999/2001;
“food authority” (“awdurdod bwyd”) has the meaning that it bears by virtue of section 5(1A) of the Food Safety Act 1990(2);
“fresh meat” (“cig ffres”) means meat that has not undergone any preserving process (other than chilling, freezing or quick-freezing) including meat that is vacuum-wrapped or wrapped in a controlled atmosphere;
“material” (“deunydd”) and “product” (“cynnyrch”) are respectively construed in accordance with the meanings that “materials” and products” bear in Decision 2005/598;
“meat” (“cig”) means edible parts of a bovine animal including its blood;
“meat product” (“cynnyrch cig”) is construed in accordance with the definition of the term “meat products” in point 7.1 of Annex I to Regulation 853/2004;
“official auxiliary” (“cynorthwy-ydd swyddogol”) means a person who is qualified in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 854/2004 to act in such a capacity, is appointed by the Agency and works under the authority and responsibility of an official veterinarian;
“official veterinarian” (“milfeddyg swyddogol”) means a veterinarian who is qualified in accordance with Regulation 854/2004 to act in such a capacity and is appointed by the Agency;
“place on the market” (“rhoi ar y farchnad”) means sell, supply in any other way against payment or free of charge and store with a view to supply against payment or free of charge and “placed on the market” is construed accordingly;
“port health authority” (“awdurdod iechyd porthladd”) means in relation to any port health district constituted by order under section 2(3) of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984(3), a port health authority for that district constituted by order under section 2(4) of that Act;
“the relevant enforcement authority” (“yr awdurdod gorfodi perthnasol”) means the body which by virtue of regulation 7 has the duty of executing and enforcing these Regulations; and
“slaughterhouse” (“lladd-dy”) means an establishment used for slaughtering and dressing bovine animals, the meat of which is intended for human consumption and which—
is approved or conditionally approved under Article 31.2 of Regulation 882/2004; or
(although lacking the approval or conditional approval that it requires under Article 4.3 of Regulation 853/2004) was, on 31 December 2005, operating as a licensed slaughterhouse under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995.
(2) Any reference in these Regulations to a food authority includes a reference to a port health authority and in the context of such a reference any reference to a food authority’s area includes a reference to a port health authority’s district.
3.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), no person may place on the market for human consumption any product—
(a)consisting or incorporating product derived from a bovine animal born or reared within the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996; and
(b)intended for use in human food, animal feed or fertilisers.
(2) Nothing in paragraph (1) prevents milk derived from a bovine animal born or reared within the United Kingdom before 1 August 1996 from being placed on the market.
4. The following provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990(4)apply for the purposes of these Regulations with the modification that any reference in those provisions to that Act or Part thereof is construed as a reference to these Regulations—
(a)section 20 (offences due to fault of another person);
(b)section 21 (defence of due diligence)(5) with the modifications that subsections (2) to (4) apply in relation to an offence under regulation 6(1) as they apply in relation to an offence under section 14 or 15 and that in subsection (4)(b) the references to “sale or intended sale” are deemed to be references to “placing on the market” as defined in Article 3.1(b) of Regulation 999/2001;
(c)section 32 (powers of entry);
(d)section 33(1) (obstruction etc. of officers);
(e)section 33(2), with the modification that the reference to “any such requirement as is mentioned in subsection 1(b) above” are deemed to be a reference to any such requirement as is mentioned in section 33(1)(b) as applied by sub-paragraph (d);
(f)section 35(1) (punishment of offences)(6), in so far as it relates to offences under section 33(1) as applied by sub-paragraph (d);
(g)section 35(2) and (3)(7), in so far as it relates to offences under section 33(2) as applied by sub-paragraph (e);
(h)section 36 (offences by bodies corporate);
(i)section 36A (offences by Scottish partnerships)(8); and
(j)section 44 (protection of officers acting in good faith) with the modification that the references to “food authority” are deemed to be references to the relevant enforcement authority.
5.—(1) An authorised officer of the relevant enforcement authority may at all reasonable times inspect any product which has been placed on the market and paragraphs (2) to (7) will apply where, on such an inspection or for any other reasonable cause, it appears to the authorised officer that any person has failed to comply with regulation 3 in relation to any product.
(2) The authorised officer may either—
(a)give notice to the person in charge of the product that, until the notice is withdrawn, the product or any specified portion of it—
(i)is not to be further placed on the market for use in human food, animal feed or fertilisers, and
(ii)either is not to be removed or is not to be removed except to some place specified in the notice; or
(b)seize the product and remove it in order to have it dealt with by a justice of the peace.
(3) Where the authorised officer exercises the power conferred by paragraph (2)(a), that officer must, as soon as is reasonably practicable and in any event within 21 days, determine whether or not he or she is satisfied that regulation 3 has been complied with in relation to the product and—
(a)if so satisfied, forthwith withdraw the notice; and
(b)if not so satisfied, seize the product and remove it in order to have it dealt with by a justice of the peace.
(4) Where an authorised officer exercises the power conferred by paragraph (2)(b) or (3)(b), he or she must inform the person in charge of the product of his or her intention to have it dealt with by a justice of the peace and—
(a)any person who under regulation 3 might be liable to a prosecution in respect of the product will, if that person attends before the justice of the peace by whom the product falls to be dealt with, be entitled to be heard and to call witnesses; and
(b)that justice of the peace may, but need not, be a member of the court before which any person is charged with an offence under that section in relation to that product.
(5) If it appears to a justice of the peace, on the basis of such evidence as he or she considers appropriate in the circumstances, that there has been a failure to comply with regulation 3 in relation to any product falling to be dealt with by him or her under this regulation, he or she must condemn the product and order—
(a)the product to be destroyed or to be so disposed of as to prevent it from being further placed on the market for use in human food, animal feed or fertilisers; and
(b)any expenses reasonably incurred in connection with the destruction or disposal to be defrayed by the owner of the product.
(6) If a notice under paragraph (2)(a) is withdrawn, or the justice of the peace by whom any product falls to be dealt with under this regulation refuses to condemn it, the relevant enforcement authority must compensate the owner of the product for any depreciation in its value resulting from the action taken by the authorised officer.
(7) Any disputed question as to the right to or the amount of any compensation payable under paragraph (6) is determinable by arbitration.
6.—(1) Any person who contravenes regulation 3 or knowingly contravenes the requirements of a notice given under paragraph (2)(a) of regulation 5 will be guilty of an offence.
(2) Any person guilty of an offence under this regulation will be liable—
(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both; or
(b)on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both.
(3) No prosecution for an offence consisting of a contravention of regulation 3 or of knowingly contravening the requirements of a notice given under paragraph (2)(a) of regulation 5 may be begun after the expiry of—
(a)three years from the commission of the offence; or
(b)one year from its discovery by the prosecutor,
whichever is the earlier.
7. These Regulations must be executed and enforced—
(a)in a slaughterhouse or cutting plant placing fresh meat on the market, by the Agency; and
(b)in any other premises, by the food authority in whose area the premises are situated.
8. For paragraph (3) of regulation 3 (meaning of animal by-product) of the Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations 1995 (9) so far as it applies to Wales there is substituted the following paragraph—
“(3) In these Regulations the definition of “animal by-product” includes—
(a)any product subject to the prohibition imposed by regulation 3 of the Bovine Products (Restriction on Placing on the Market) (Wales) (No. 2) Regulations 2005; and
(b)any bovine carcase or body part in respect of which a direction for disposal has been given under regulation 10A(5) of the TSE (Wales) Regulations 2002(10).”.
9. The Bovine Products (Restriction on Placing on the Market) (Wales) Regulations 2005(11) are revoked.
Signed on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales under section 66(1) of the Government of Wales Act 1998(12).
D. Elis-Thomas
The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly
30 November 2005