Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Animal By-Products (Identification) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 4th December 2003.

Amendments to the Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

2.  The Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999(4) are amended in accordance with regulations 3 to 8.

3.  In regulation 2 (interpretation) –

(a)for the definition of “the 2002 Order” there shall be substituted the following definition –

““the 2003 Regulations” means the Animal By-Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(5);”;

(b)for the definition of “approved premises” there shall be substituted the following definitions –

““approved incineration plant” means a plant which is approved as an incineration plant under regulation 14 of the 2003 Regulations;

“approved rendering plant” means a plant which is approved as a category 2 processing plant or category 2 oleochemical plant under regulation 14 of the 2003 Regulations;”; and

(c)immediately after the definition of “cold store” there shall be inserted the following definition –

““the Community Regulation” means Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3rd October 2002 laying down health rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption(6) as amended by and as read with –

4.  In regulation 5 (exemptions) –

(a)for paragraph (1)(e) there shall be substituted the following provision –

“(e)any animal by-product which –

(i)is, or is derived from, a product of animal origin regulated by the Community Regulation, and

(ii)is transhipped in accordance with regulation 23 of the Products of Animal Origin (Import and Export) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998(14); or”; and

(b)in paragraph (2) –

(i)“and sterilisation” shall be omitted, and

(ii)in each of sub-paragraphs (d) and (e), for “the 2002 Order” there shall be substituted “the 2003 Regulations”.

5.  In regulation 6 (staining of animal by-products in cold stores, cutting premises, game processing facilities or slaughterhouses) –

(a)in paragraph (2)(b), for head (iii), there shall be substituted the following head –

“(iii)is immediately moved, in the manner specified in paragraph (4), to an approved rendering plant for rendering there, or to an approved incineration plant which is adequately separated from the cold store, cutting premises, game processing facility or slaughter-house concerned, for incineration there.”; and

(b)for paragraph (4) there shall be substituted the following paragraph –

“(4) The manner is that the animal by-product is moved through a sealed and leak-proof pipe which connects the cold store, cutting premises, game processing facility or slaughter-house concerned directly with the relevant approved rendering plant or, as the case may be, approved incineration plant.”.

6.  In regulation 7 (staining of animal by-products in animal by-products premises) for paragraphs (2) and (3) there shall be substituted the following paragraphs –

“(2) The duty imposed by paragraph (1) shall not apply in relation to any animal by-product which is immediately moved, in the manner specified in paragraph (3), to an approved rendering plant for rendering there, or to an approved incineration plant which is adequately separated from the animal by-products premises concerned for incineration there.

(3) The manner is that the animal by-product is moved through a sealed and leak-proof pipe which connects the animal by-products premises concerned directly with the relevant approved rendering plant or, as the case may be, approved incineration plant.”.

7.  In regulation 9 (storage and packaging of animal by-products), for paragraph (3) there shall be substituted the following paragraph –

“(3) A person shall not store in any part of any cold store, cutting premises, game processing facility or slaughter-house any animal by-product unless it is placed in a receptacle on which is affixed a conspicuously visible and legible notice containing –

(a)in letters at least two centimetres high, the declaration “Not intended for human consumption”;

(b)in the case of any imported animal by-product, the name of the country from which it was so imported;

(c)in the case of any other animal by-product, the name of the packer and the address at which the animal by-product was packed;

(d)in the case of any animal by-product which is Category 2 material as defined in Article 2.1(c) of the Community Regulation, in letters at least two centimetres high the declaration “Category 2 material”; and

(e)in the case of any animal by-product which is Category 3 material as defined in Article 2.1(d) of the Community Regulation, in letters at least two centimetres high the declaration “Category 3 material”.”.

8.  In regulation 10 (restriction on movement of animal by-products) for paragraph (2) there shall be substituted the following paragraph –

“(2) The prohibition contained in paragraph (1) shall not apply in relation to any animal by-product which has not been stained in accordance with these Regulations because of a permanent or temporary closure of the relevant animal by-products premises, cold store, cutting premises, game processing facility or slaughter-house, a breakdown of the machinery installed there or a trade dispute, and which is moved, under the supervision of an authorised officer, to other premises for disposal in accordance with the requirements of the Community Regulation.”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations, which amend the Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, as already amended (“the 1999 Regulations”), consist very largely of provisions which are consequential on Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3rd October 2002 laying down health rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption (“the Community Regulation”) and on the Regulations which provide for the enforcement of that Regulation, namely the Animal By-Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.

These Regulations amend the 1999 Regulations by –

(a)in regulation 2 (interpretation), substituting for the definition of “the 2002 Order” a definition of “the 2003 Regulations”, substituting for the definition of “approved premises” definitions of “approved incineration plant” and “approved rendering plant”, and adding a definition of “the Community Regulation” (regulation 3);

(b)in regulation 5 (exemptions) –

(i)substituting a revised paragraph (1)(e) (which specifies a particular category of animal by-product to which the 1999 Regulations do not apply) (regulation 4(a)), and

(ii)in paragraph (2), deleting certain words the need to delete which was overlooked in an earlier amendment to the 1999 Regulations, and substituting for the references to “the 2002 Order” references to “the 2003 Regulations” (regulation 4(b));

(c)in regulation 6 (staining of animal by-products in cold stores, cutting premises, game processing facilities or slaughterhouses), substituting revised versions of paragraphs (2)(b)(iii) and (4) (which, read together, specify a category of animal by-product to which the duty of occupiers of cold stores, cutting premises, game processing facilities and slaughterhouses to stain animal by-products which is imposed by paragraph (1) of that regulation does not apply) (regulation 5);

(d)in regulation 7 (staining of animal by-products in animal by-products premises), substituting revised versions of paragraphs (2) and (3) (which, read together, specify a category of animal by-product to which the duty of occupiers of animal by-products premises to stain animal by-products which is imposed by paragraph (1) of that regulation does not apply) (regulation 6);

(e)in regulation 9 (storage and packaging of animal by-products), substituting a revised version of paragraph (3) (which provides that animal by-products may not be stored in cold stores, cutting premises, game processing facilities or slaughterhouses if specified conditions are not met) (regulation 7); and

(f)in regulation 10 (restriction on movement of animal by-products), substituting a revised version of paragraph (2) (which specifies a category of animal by-product to which the prohibition on moving animal by-products from animal by-products premises, cold stores, cutting premises, game processing facilities or slaughterhouses without first staining them, which is imposed by paragraph (1) of that regulation, does not apply) (regulation 8).