The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

PART 1GENERAL

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 and shall come into operation on 21st May 2014.

Expiry

2.—(1) The following provisions cease to have effect on 8th December 2015—

(a)regulation 36; and

(b)Schedule 7.

(2) The following provisions cease to have effect on 8th December 2019—

(a)regulation 23(1)(g);

(b)regulation 37; and

(c)Schedule 8.

Interpretation

3.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the 1996 Regulations” means the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(1);

“authorised veterinary surgeon” means a veterinary surgeon authorised by the Department for the purposes of these Regulations;

“certificate” (except in the terms “temporary certificate”, “transitional certificate” or as used in regulation 34(2)) means a certificate of competence as mentioned in Article 21 and includes a qualification recognised by the competent authority as equivalent to a certificate in accordance with Article 21(7);

“competent authority” has the meaning given in regulation 4;

“the Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development;

“EU Regulation” means Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24 September 2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing(2);

“evidence of training and examination” means—

“horse” includes a hinny, ass or mule;

“inspector” means an inspector appointed under regulation 27 or an inspector appointed under section 45 of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011(5);

“killing establishment” means any premises, including a knacker’s yard, used principally for the storage of animal carcases but also for the commercial killing of animals for purposes other than human consumption, including any associated facilities for handling and lairaging such animals;

“Rabbinical Commission” means the Rabbinical Commission for the licensing of Shochetim in England and Wales or the Chief Rabbi in Scotland, responsible for licensing persons carrying out the slaughter of animals in accordance with the Jewish method (Shechita);

“restraining facility for non-stun slaughter” means a pen or compartment which is—

“simple stunning” has the same meaning as in Article 4(1) and “simple stunned” is to be construed accordingly;

“stunning pen” means a pen or compartment which is suitable for restraining an adult bovine animal for the purpose of stunning and which is constructed in accordance with paragraph 8 of Schedule 1 or paragraph 9 of Schedule 2;

“temporary certificate” means a temporary certificate of competence as mentioned in Article 21(5);

“transitional certificate” means a transitional certificate of competence as mentioned in Part 2 of Schedule 7;

“veterinary surgeon” means a person registered in the register of veterinary surgeons under section 2 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966(6); and

“WASK licence” means a registered licence required by or granted in accordance with Schedule 1 to the 1996 Regulations or Schedule 1 to the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995(7).

(2) Terms and expressions used in these Regulations that are also used in the EU Regulation have the same meaning in these Regulations as they have in the EU Regulation, unless specified otherwise.

(3) In these Regulations, a reference to an Article, a Chapter or an Annex is a reference to that Article or Chapter of, or that Annex to, the EU Regulation.

(4) Any reference to an Annex to the EU Regulation is a reference to that Annex as amended from time to time.

(5) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(8), except section 20(2) and (3), shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

The competent authority

4.  The Department is the competent authority for the purposes of the EU Regulation and these Regulations.