The Agriculture Act 1970 Amendment Regulations 1982

New section 73A

7.  After section 73 there shall be inserted as section 73A the following new section—

“73A.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, any person who—

(a)sells any material for use as a feeding stuff, or

(b)has on his premises, for the purpose of selling it in the course of trade for such use, any material which is ready for sale,

shall be guilty of an offence if the material is found, or if a sampled portion of the material is shown by an analysis of the sample taken from it, to be unwholesome for or to be dangerous to animals of any description prescribed for the purpose of the definition of “feeding stuff” in section 66(1) of this Act, or to be unwholesome for or to be dangerous to, pet animals or, through the consumption of the products of an animal fed with the material, dangerous to human beings.

(2) If in proceedings for an offence under subsection (1) of this section the person charged proves that he sold the material in question or, in a case under paragraph (b) of that subsection, that he intended to sell it, as suitable only for animals of a specified kind, then—

(a)in the case of proceedings for an offence of selling, or having for sale, material which is unwholesome for, or dangerous to animals he shall not be convicted by reason of the fact that the material is found, or a sampled portion of it is shown, to be unwholesome only for or, as the case may be, dangerous only to animals of a kind different from that specified;

(b)in the case of proceedings for an offence of selling, or having for sale, material dangerous to human beings, he shall not be convicted by reason of the fact that the material is found, or the sampled portion of it is shown, to be dangerous to human beings only if fed to animals of a kind different from that specified.

(3) If in proceedings for an offence under subsection (1) of this section the person charged proves that he sold the material or, in a case under paragraph (b) of that subsection, that he intended to sell it for use in accordance with written instructions given by him to the purchaser he shall not be convicted by reason of the fact that the material is found, or the sampled portion of it is shown, to be unwholesome or, as the case may be, dangerous only if used otherwise than in accordance with the instructions given.

(4) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) of this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £400 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or both.”.