The Honey (Wales) Regulations 2015

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which apply in relation to Wales, implement Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey (OJ No L 10, 12.1.2002, p 47). They revoke and replace the Honey (Wales) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/3044).

The Regulations regulate the use of the names: honey (regulation 6); blossom honey and nectar honey (regulation 7); honeydew honey (regulation 8); comb honey (regulation 9); chunk honey and cut comb in honey (regulation 10); drained honey (regulation 11); extracted honey (regulation 12); pressed honey (regulation 13); filtered honey (regulation 14); baker’s honey (regulation 15).

Regulation 16 and Schedule 1 prescribe compositional criteria with which such products must comply when placed on the market as honey and when used as honey in a product intended for human consumption.

Regulation 17 contains additional labelling provisions.

Regulation 18 imposes a duty on food authorities to enforce the Regulations.

Regulation 19 and Schedule 2 apply certain provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 (1990 c. 16), with modifications. This includes the application (with modifications) of section 10(1), enabling an improvement notice to be served requiring compliance with specified provisions of the Regulations.

The provisions, as applied, make the failure to comply with an improvement notice an offence.

Regulation 20 revokes the Honey (Wales) Regulations 2003, the Honey (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (S.I 2005/3052), the Honey (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/543) and specified provisions of the Food Information (Wales) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/2303) relating to the Honey (Wales) Regulations 2003.

Regulation 21 and Schedule 3 amend the Food Information (Wales) Regulations 2014.

Regulation 22 makes a transitional provision in respect of food placed on the market or labelled before 3 August 2015, prohibiting an improvement notice from being served in relation to such food if it would have been compliant with the Honey (Wales) Regulations 2003.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, it was not considered necessary to carry out a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations.