Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2000 No. 76

WELFARE OF ANIMALS

Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Made

10th March 2000

Coming into operation

12th April 2000

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development(1) being a Department designated(2) for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972(3) in relation to the common agricultural policy of the European Community, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by the said section 2(2) and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and shall come into operation on 12th April 2000.

(2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(4) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the New Assembly.

Amendment of Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

2.—(1) The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(5) shall be amended as provided in paragraphs (2) to (4).

(2) In regulation 14(b) (the slaughter of animals elsewhere than in a slaughterhouse or knacker’s yard) the words “subject to regulation 22,” shall be deleted.

(3) In regulation 22 for the words “Schedule 5 (which relates to the stunning and killing of animals)” there shall be substituted the words “The requirement to stun an animal before slaughter in regulation 9(c)”.

(4) In Schedule 12 (additional provisions for slaughter by a religious method) paragraph 8 shall be replaced by the following paragraph:

“Prohibition against slaughter by a religious method elsewhere than in a slaughterhouse

8.   A person shall not slaughter any animal by a religious method, or cause or permit any animal to be so slaughtered, elsewhere than in a slaughterhouse licensed under regulation 4 of the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(6)”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on 10th March 2000.

L.S.

R. S. Johnston

Senior Officer of the

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (“the 1996 Regulations”).

They amend regulations 14 and 22 of and Schedule 12 to the 1996 Regulations, so as to prohibit the religious slaughter of animals or birds unless it takes place—

(a) in the case of animals in a licensed slaughterhouse; and

(b) in the case of birds to slaughterhouses as defined in the 1996 Regulations.

• The amendments made by these Regulations give effect to Article 9(1) of Council Directive 93/119/EC on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing (O.J. No. L340, 31.12.93, p. 12).

(1)

Formerly the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland; see S.I. 1999/283 Article 3(4)

(2)

S.I. 1972/1811

(3)

1972 c. 68; section 2 is subject to Schedule 2 to that Act and is to be read with S.I. 1984/703 (N.I. 3) and S.I. 1994/2795 (N.I. 15)

(4)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.)

(5)

S.R. 1996 No. 558

(6)

S.R. 1997 No. 493