Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

PART I INTRODUCTION

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 and shall come into operation on 6th December 2002.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations –

“the Agency” means the Food Standards Agency;

“the Animal By-Products Order” means the Animal By-Products Order (Northern Ireland) 2002(1);

“approved rendering premises” means premises approved in accordance with Article 7 of the Animal By-Products Order;

“Article 9 product” means a product from a third country which is first introduced into the relevant territories at one border inspection post but is intended for import via another, as described (in relation to consignments) in Article 9(1) of Directive 97/78/EC, whether or not the product is transhipped or unloaded at the first border inspection post;

“authorised officer” means a person appointed by the Department, the Agency, a district council or by the Commissioners either generally or specially, to act in matters arising under these Regulations, whether or not he is an officer of the Department, the Agency, the district council or the Commissioners;

“border inspection post” means –

(a)

premises designated and approved for the time being in accordance with Article 6(2) or 6(4) of Directive 97/78/EC as an inspection post for the carrying out of veterinary checks on products arriving from third countries at the border of a member State;

(b)

a border inspection post in the Republic of Iceland or the Kingdom of Norway which is included in the list contained in point 39 in Part 1.2 of Chapter I of Annex I to the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992(2), as amended by any decision of the EFTA Surveillance Authority fixing the border inspection posts for the EFTA States which is adopted before the date on which these Regulations were made; and

(c)

an inspection post for the carrying out by or on behalf of the authorities of the principality of Andorra or the Faeroe Islands of veterinary checks on products arriving from third countries;

“border inspection post of destination” means the border inspection post via which an Article 9 product is intended for import;

“border inspection post of introduction” means the border inspection post at which an Article 9 product is first introduced into the relevant territories;

“carrier who has charge for the time being” of a product, consignment or part of a consignment includes the driver of any vehicle, the pilot of any aircraft and the master of any vessel (but not the driver of any train) transporting the same;

“certificate of veterinary clearance” means a certificate issued by an official veterinary surgeon or an authorised officer in the form set out as in Part II of Schedule 1;

“the Commissioners” means the Commissioners of Customs and Excise;

“Community establishment of origin” means the premises located in a member State at which a returned product attained the form in which it was originally exported from the relevant territories;

“consignment” means a quantity of products of the same type covered by the same veterinary certificate or veterinary document, or other document provided for by veterinary legislation, conveyed by the same means of transport and coming from the same third country or part of a third country;

“corporate officer” means a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of a body corporate, or a person who purports to act in such capacity;

“the Customs Code” means Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code(3);

“the customs territory of the Community” has the same meaning as in Article 3 of the Customs Code;

“customs warehouse” means a warehouse which fulfils the conditions of Articles 98 to 113 of the Customs Code, in which goods are stored subject to the customs warehousing procedure referred to in those Articles;

“Decision 93/13/EEC” means Commission Decision 93/13/EEC laying down the procedures for veterinary checks at Community border inspection posts on products from third countries(4);

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

“destination establishment” in relation to a product, means the establishment identified in the “Country of destination” entry on the notice of the product’s introduction or presentation pursuant to regulation 17;

“Directive 92/118/EEC” means Council Directive 92/118/EEC laying down animal health and public health requirements governing trade in and imports into the Community of products not subject to the said requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A (I) to Directive 89/662/EEC and, as regards pathogens, to Directive 90/425/EEC(5);

“Directive 97/78/EC” means Council Directive 97/78/EC laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on products entering the Community from third countries(6);

“documentary check” means the examination of the veterinary certificates or veterinary documents or other documents accompanying a consignment, carried out in accordance with Article 4(3) of Directive 97/78/EC and Annex A to Decision 93/13/EEC;

“fishery products” means all seawater and freshwater animals, whether or not live, including –

(a)

aquaculture animals and aquaculture products as defined in Article 2 of Council Directive 91/67/EEC concerning the animal health conditions governing the placing on the market of aquaculture animals and products(7),

(b)

bivalve molluscs as defined in Article 2(1) of Council Directive 91/492/EEC laying down the health conditions for the production and the placing on the market of live bivalve molluscs(8),

(c)

echinoderms, tunicates and marine gastropods, and

(d)

fishery products and aquaculture products as defined in Article 2 of Council Directive 91/493/EEC laying down the health conditions for the production and the placing on the market of fishery products(9);

but excludes aquatic mammals, reptiles and frogs and parts thereof;

“free circulation” has the same meaning as in Articles 23(2) and 24 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

“free warehouse” and “free zone” have the same meanings as in Title IV, Chapter 3, Section 1 of the Customs Code;

“hay” means any grass, clover, lucerne or sainfoin which has been dried, either naturally or artificially, and includes any product which is obtained by so drying any grass, clover, lucerne or sainfoin;

“identity check” means a check by visual inspection to ensure that the veterinary certificates or veterinary documents or other documents accompanying a consignment tally with the products comprised in the consignment, carried out in accordance with Article 4(4)(a) of Directive 97/78/EC and Annex A to Decision 93/13/EEC;

“import” as a noun, means release for free circulation within the meaning of Article 79 of the Customs Code;

“import conditions” in relation to a product, means the conditions laid down for the import of that product in any directive, decision or regulation listed in Schedule 2, including –

(a)

conditions as to the country or establishment of origin of the product;

(b)

specific requirements laid down for the import of that product into a particular member State or a particular area of a member State, and

(c)

conditions laid down for the import of that product for specific purposes;

“intermediate storage warehouse” means cold storage facilities approved for intermediate storage of products as referred to in Chapter 10 of Annex I to Directive 92/118/EEC;

“introduce” means bring into; and a person introduces a product into a territory or area, if–

(a)

he brings it into that territory or area as its owner;

(b)

he brings it into that territory or area as a carrier;

(c)

a carrier brings it into that territory or area on that person’s instructions;

but a product on board a means of transport operating internationally and intended for consumption by the crew or passengers of that means of transport is not introduced into a territory or area if it is not unloaded, or if it is transferred directly from one means of transport operating internationally to another at the same port or airport and under supervision, within the meaning of Article 4(13) of the Customs Code, by the Commissioners;

“non-conforming product” means a product which does not comply with the import conditions;

“official veterinary surgeon” means a veterinary surgeon who has participated in a special training programme referred to in Article 27 of Directive 97/78/EC and who is appointed by the Department in accordance with regulation 6(1)(a);

“operator” means –

(a)

in relation to a border inspection post, the person who provides premises and other facilities for the carrying out of veterinary checks at that border inspection post; and

(b)

in relation to a Community establishment of origin, an intermediate storage warehouse or a destination establishment, the person who occupies the same for the purposes of his business;

“owner” in relation to a product, consignment or part of a consignment, means the person in whom the property in the product, consignment or part is for the time being vested;

“person appearing to have charge” of a product, consignment or part of a consignment means any person, including a carrier, who appears to have possession, custody or control thereof;

“person responsible for” a product, consignment, or part of a consignment means –

(a)

until the product, consignment or part first arrives at a border inspection post in Northern Ireland or, in the case of an Article 9 product, or a consignment or part of a consignment of Article 9 products, until it arrives at a border inspection post of destination in Northern Ireland –

(i)

the person referred to in Article 38(1) of the Customs Code who brings the product, consignment or part into the customs territory of the Community;

(ii)

a person referred to in Article 38(2) of the Customs Code who assumes responsibility for the carriage of the product, consignment or part after it has been brought into the customs territory of the Community; and

(iii)

a person referred to in Article 44(2)(b) of the Customs Code, in whose name the persons referred to in paragraphs (a)(i) and (ii) acted;

(b)

from the time the product, consignment or part first arrives at a border inspection post in Northern Ireland, or, in the case of an Article 9 product, or a consignment or part of a consignment of Article 9 products, from the time it arrives at a border inspection post of destination in Northern Ireland, until it leaves that first border inspection post, or that border inspection post of destination, as the case may be –

(i)

the person referred to in Article 44(2)(b) of the Customs Code in whose name the persons referred to in paragraphs (a)(i) and (ii) acted; or

(ii)

if the product, consignment or part is in temporary storage, as referred to in Article 50 of the Customs Code, the person referred to in Article 51(2) of the Customs Code who holds it in temporary storage; or

(iii)

if the person referred to in paragraph (b)(i) or (ii), as the case may be, has appointed a representative in his dealings with the custom authorities, within the meaning of Article 5 of the Customs Code, who is given or assumes responsibility for ensuring the product, consignment or part undergoes veterinary checks, that representative; and

(c)

after the product, consignment or part leaves that first border inspection post, or, in the case of an Article 9 product, or a consignment or part of a consignment of Article 9 products, after it leaves the border inspection post of destination–

(i)

the person who made a customs declaration, within the meaning of Article 64 of the Customs Code, covering the product, consignment or part; or

(ii)

if no such customs declaration has yet been made, the person capable of making it;

“physical check” means a check on the product itself (which may include checks on packaging and temperature and also sampling and laboratory testing) carried out in accordance with Article 4(4)(b) of, and Annex III to, Directive 97/78/EC and Annex C to Decision 93/13/EEC;

“premises” includes any construction, installation, container or means of transport;

“product” means –

(a)

any product of animal origin covered by the directives listed in Schedule 3;

(b)

hay; and

(c)

straw;

“the regulatory functions” means the functions assigned by these Regulations to authorised officers, official veterinary surgeons, and assistants appointed pursuant to regulation 6;

“relevant document” means any required document and any other veterinary, commercial or other certificate or document relating to a product, including the manifest of any sea-going vessel or aircraft;

“the relevant territories” means an area comprising the territories of the member States, as listed in Annex I to Directive 97/78/EC, the territory of the Republic of Iceland, the territory of the Kingdom of Norway (except Svalbard), the Principality of Andorra and the Faeroe Islands;

“required document” means any original veterinary certificate, original veterinary document or other original document required in relation to a product by virtue of any directive or decision listed in Schedule 2;

“returned product” means a product originally exported from the customs territory of the Community returned there because it has been refused by a third country;

“ships' store” means closed premises referred to in Article 13(1)(c), or a specially approved warehouse referred to in Article 13(2)(a), of Directive 97/78/EC;

“straw” means any green cereal which has been dried either naturally or artificially and includes any product (other than grain) which is obtained by drying any green cereal;

“third country” means a country not comprised in the relevant territories;

“transhipped product” means an Article 9 product which is transhipped or unloaded in the way described (in relation to consignments) in Article 9(1) of Directive 97/78/EC at its border post of introduction;

“transit” means transit from one third country to another, passing through one or more member States, under the external transit procedure referred to in Articles 91 to 97 of the Customs Code;

“transit product” means a product originating in a third country which, according to the information forwarded in advance referred to in Article 3(3) of Directive 97/78/EC, will undergo transit;

“veterinary check” means any check provided for in Directive 97/78/EC including a documentary check, an identity check or a physical check.

(2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(10) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

(3) Products introduced into Northern Ireland from the Republic of Iceland, other than fishery products, are regarded as introduced from a third country.

(4) Any reference in these Regulations to a Community instrument is a reference to that instrument as amended on the date on which these Regulations are made.

Exemptions

3.—(1) These Regulations do not apply to products introduced into Northern Ireland from a third country with the previous written authorisation of the Department as trade samples, for exhibition or for particular studies or analyses.

(2) Part III, with the exception of regulations 15, 21 and 25, and Parts IV to IX do not apply to products whose total weight does not exceed one kilogram introduced into Northern Ireland –

(a) in the personal luggage of a traveller and intended for his personal consumption; or

(b) by post or carrier and addressed to a private individual in the relevant territories otherwise than by way of trade or as a trade sample,

where such products either come from a third country or part of a third country which satisfies the conditions laid down in paragraph (3) or have undergone heat treatment in a hermetically sealed container to an F₀ value of 3.00 or more.

(3) The conditions referred to in paragraph (2) are that the third country or part of a third country –

(a) appears on a list of third countries or parts of third countries from which member States shall authorise the importation of the product or products concerned, established by a Community instrument in force on the date on which these Regulations are made; and

(b) is not one from which importation of the product or products concerned is prohibited by any Community instrument in force on that date.

PART II ENFORCEMENT

Enforcement authorities

4.  These Regulations shall be executed and enforced –

(a) by each district council within its district other than at premises mentioned in paragraph (c);

(b) by the Department other than at premises mentioned in paragraphs (c) and (d);

(c) by the Agency at premises required to be licensed under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(11), the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995(12) or the Wild Game Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(13); and

(d) by the Agency or each district council within its district at premises approved under the Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(14), or the Minced Meat and Meat Preparations (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(15).

Powers to give directions

5.—(1) The Department may give directions in writing to a district council concerning the execution and enforcement by the council of any provisions of these Regulations for which that council is responsible.

(2) In the exercise of the functions conferred on it by these Regulations, a district council shall comply with all relevant provisions of a direction given to it under paragraph (1).

Appointment of official veterinary surgeons and authorised officers

6.—(1) The Department shall appoint –

(a) an official veterinary surgeon to carry out the regulatory functions at any border inspection post designated and approved for veterinary checks on products arriving from third countries; and

(b) such appropriately trained assistants for each official veterinary surgeon appointed pursuant to sub-paragraph (a) as may be necessary for the proper and expeditious performance of those regulatory functions.

(2) A district council shall appoint –

(a) an authorised officer to carry out the regulatory functions in relation to fishery products at each border inspection post in its district; and

(b) such appropriately trained assistants for each authorised officer appointed pursuant to sub-paragraph (a), as may be necessary for the proper and expeditious performance of the regulatory functions.

Exercise of enforcement powers

7.—(1) An official veterinary surgeon, or an authorised officer may, at all reasonable hours and on producing, if so required, some duly authenticated document showing his authority, exercise the powers conferred by regulations 8 and 9 for the purpose of –

(a) executing or enforcing these Regulations;

(b) executing or enforcing any declaration made by the Department or the Agency pursuant to regulation 54;

(c) ascertaining whether these Regulations are being or have been complied with; or

(d) verifying the identity, origin or destination of any product.

(2) In the case of an authorised officer appointed or authorised by a district council, the powers conferred by regulations 8 and 9 shall be exercised –

(a) within the district of that district council; and

(b) outside the district of that district council for the purpose of ascertaining whether these Regulations are being or have been complied with within that district.

Powers of entry and inspection

8.—(1) An official veterinary surgeon, or authorised officer may –

(a) enter any border inspection post or other land or premises (except premises used only as a dwelling house) and inspect the same and anything therein or thereon;

(b) open any bundle, package, packing case, or item of personal luggage, or require any person in possession of or accompanying the same to open it;

(c) inspect the contents of any bundle, package, packing case or item of personal luggage opened pursuant to sub-paragraph (b);

(d) inspect any product, including its packaging, seals, marking, labelling and presentation, and any plant or equipment used for or in connection with any product; and

(e) take samples of any product.

(2) Where an official veterinary surgeon or authorised officer takes a sample of a product otherwise than in the course of a physical check carried out pursuant to regulation 19(1), he may serve notice on the person appearing to him to have charge of the consignment which includes the product, requiring that the consignment or part thereof be stored until he serves a further notice that the same may be removed, under the supervision of the official veterinary surgeon, or authorised officer, as the case may be, at such place and under such conditions as he may in the notice direct; and the costs of such storage shall be paid by the person responsible for the consignment.

(3) An official veterinary surgeon or authorised officer entering any land or premises pursuant to paragraph (1)(a) may take with him –

(a) other persons acting under his instructions;

(b) one or more representatives of the European Commission; and

(c) one or more representatives of the authorities of a third country, appointed and acting in accordance with the provisions of one of the equivalence decisions listed in Schedule 4.

Powers in relation to documents

9.  An official veterinary surgeon, or authorised officer may –

(a) require any person appearing to him to have charge of a product, any person responsible for a product and any corporate officer, employee, servant or agent of any such persons, to produce any relevant document in his possession or under his control relating to the product, and to supply such additional information in his possession or under his control relating to the product as the official veterinary surgeon or authorised officer may reasonably request;

(b) examine any relevant document relating to a product and, where it is kept by means of a computer, have access to and inspect and check the operation of any computer and associated apparatus or material which is or has been used in connection with that relevant document;

(c) make and retain such copies as he may think fit of any relevant document relating to a product; and

(d) seize and retain any relevant document relating to a product which the official veterinary surgeon or authorised officer has reason to believe may be required as evidence in proceedings under these Regulations, and, where any such relevant document is kept by means of a computer, require it to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away.

Protection of officials acting in good faith

10.—(1) An officer of the Department, the Agency or a district council is not personally liable in respect of any act done by him in the performance or purported performance of the regulatory functions within the scope of his employment, if he did that act in the honest belief that his duty under these Regulations required or entitled him to do so.

(2) Nothing in paragraph (1) shall be construed as relieving the Department, the Agency or any district council from any liability in respect of acts of their officers.

Entry warrants

11.  If a justice of the peace, on sworn complaint in writing, is satisfied that there is reasonable ground for entry into any land or premises by an official veterinary surgeon or authorised officer pursuant to regulation 8 for any of the purposes specified in regulation 7 and either –

(a) that entry has been refused, or a refusal is reasonably expected, and that the official veterinary surgeon or authorised officer has given notice of his intention to apply for an entry warrant to the occupier; or

(b) that a request for entry, or the giving of such a notice, would defeat the object of entry, or that entry is urgently required, or that the land or premises are unoccupied, or the occupier is temporarily absent, and it would defeat the object of entry to await his return,

the justice of the peace may by warrant signed by him, and valid for one month, authorise the official veterinary surgeon or authorised officer to enter the land or premises, if need be by reasonable force.

District council returns

12.—(1) Each district council shall send to the Department, in accordance with any determination made under paragraph (2), a return comprising the following information –

(a) the total number of consignments checked, categorised by groups of products and by country of origin;

(b) a list of consignments of which samples were taken and the results of any test or analysis of each sample; and

(c) a list of consignments required to be redispatched or destroyed pursuant to regulation 21 by an authorised officer, together with, in each case, their country of origin, establishment of origin (if known), a description of the product concerned and the reason for refusal.

(2) The Department shall determine how frequently the returns referred to in paragraph (1) are to be submitted and what period of time they are to cover.

Suspension of border inspection posts

13.—(1) If the Department is satisfied that –

(a) the continued operation of a border inspection post presents a serious risk to public or animal health; or

(b) there has been at a border inspection post a serious breach of the requirements for the approval of border inspection posts laid down in Annex II to Directive 97/78/EC or the Annex to Commission Decision 2001/812/EC laying down requirements for the approval of border inspection posts responsible for veterinary checks on products introduced into the Community from third countries(16),

it shall serve on the operator of the border inspection post concerned a written notice stating that the approval of the premises as a border inspection post in accordance with Article 6(2) or 6(4) of Directive 97/78/EC is suspended.

(2) Upon service of a notice pursuant to paragraph (1) the premises shall cease to be a border inspection post, notwithstanding that it may still appear on the list of border inspection posts referred to in Article 6(2) or 6(4) of Directive 97/78/EC, until it is again designated and approved in accordance with Article 6(2) or 6(4).

Regulatory functions of authorised officers

14.  In Parts III to XIII where a fishery product is concerned, any reference to an official veterinary surgeon or to an assistant appointed under regulation 6(1)(b) shall be construed as indicating respectively an authorised officer or an assistant appointed by a district council under regulation 6(2).

PART III PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO PRODUCTS IN GENERAL

Prohibition of non-conforming products

15.—(1) Without prejudice to regulation 22 of the Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995(17), a person shall not introduce a non-conforming product into Northern Ireland from a third country, or a non-conforming product originating in a third country into Northern Ireland from elsewhere in the relevant territories, unless–

(a) it is a transit product; or

(b) its destination establishment is a warehouse in a free zone, a free warehouse, a customs warehouse approved pursuant to Article 12(4)(b) of Directive 97/78/EC, or a ships' store complying with Article 13 of Directive 97/78/EC, located (in each case) outside the United Kingdom.

(2) A person shall not introduce a product into Northern Ireland from a third country from which importation of that product is prohibited by any Community instrument in force on the date on which these Regulations are made.

Introduction of products at border inspection posts

16.—(1) A person shall not introduce a product into Northern Ireland from a third country except at a border inspection post designated and approved for veterinary checks on that product.

(2) Where the border inspection post of introduction of an Article 9 product is outside Northern Ireland, and its border inspection post of destination is in Northern Ireland, a person shall not introduce it into Northern Ireland except at a border inspection post designated and approved for veterinary checks on that product.

Advance notice of introduction or presentation

17.—(1) A person shall not –

(a) introduce a product into Northern Ireland from a third country; or

(b) introduce into Northern Ireland an Article 9 product whose border inspection post of destination is in Northern Ireland,

unless notice of its introduction has been given in accordance with this regulation to the official veterinary surgeon at a border inspection post designated and approved for veterinary checks on that product and a copy of it has been sent to the office of the Commissioners responsible for the area in which that border inspection post is situated.

(2) Where the border inspection post of introduction and the border inspection post of destination of an Article 9 product are both in Northern Ireland, a person shall not present the product to a border inspection post unless notice of its presentation has been given in accordance with this regulation to the official veterinary surgeon at a border inspection post of destination designated and approved for veterinary checks on that product and a copy of it has been sent to the office of the Commissioners responsible for the area in which that border inspection post is situated.

(3) The notice referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) –

(a) shall be in the form set out in Part I of Schedule 1, or shall consist of a detailed description of the product in writing or in computerised or other electronic form, containing at least the particulars appearing on that form;

(b) shall be in English and also in an official language of the country of destination in the relevant territories referred to in the notice, if other than the United Kingdom;

(c) shall arrive at the border inspection post –

(i) at least six working hours, in the case of a product introduced by air; and

(ii) at least one working day, in any other case,

before the product is presented to the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post pursuant to regulation 18;

(d) in the case of a notice given to a border inspection post of destination, shall specify what checks have been carried out at the border inspection post of introduction.

(4) In paragraph (3) “working hours” means hours during which, and “working day” means a day on which, the border inspection post is open for the presentation of products to the official veterinary surgeon pursuant to regulation 18.

Presentation of products at border inspection posts

18.—(1) Any person responsible for a product which is introduced into Northern Ireland from a third country, or for an Article 9 product whose border inspection post of destination is in Northern Ireland which is introduced into Northern Ireland, shall present the product and the required documents, or ensure that the same are presented, without delay to the official veterinary surgeon at the inspection facility of the border inspection post to which notice of the product’s introduction or presentation was given pursuant to regulation 17.

(2) Where the border inspection post of introduction and the border inspection post of destination of an Article 9 product are both in Northern Ireland, the person responsible for the product after its removal from the border inspection post of introduction, shall present the product and the required documents, or ensure that the same are presented, without delay, to the official veterinary surgeon at the inspection facility of the border inspection post of destination to which notice of the product’s presentation was given pursuant to regulation 17.

(3) A person who presents a product, other than a transit product or a product to which Part VII applies pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2), shall present the required documents relating thereto drawn up in English.

(4) A person who presents pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) a transit product or a product to which Part VII applies accompanied by a required document in a language other than English, shall present at the same time a translation of the required document into English, authenticated as accurate by an appropriately qualified expert.

Veterinary checks

19.—(1) Subject, in the case of transhipped products, to regulation 34 any person required by virtue of regulation 18 to present a product and its required documents, or to ensure that the same are presented, to an official veterinary surgeon shall permit the official veterinary surgeon, or an assistant appointed pursuant to regulation 6(1)(b), to carry out on the product or the required documents, as the case may be –

(a) a documentary check;

(b) an identity check; and

(c) subject to regulations 37, 42 and 46 a physical check;

and shall render the official veterinary surgeon or assistant such assistance as he may reasonably request to enable him to carry out any of the said checks.

(2) When a sample of a product is taken in the course of a physical check, a person shall not remove the product or cause it to be removed from the border inspection post at which it was presented until the official veterinary surgeon has authorised its removal by issuing a certificate of veterinary clearance for the product or for the consignment or part consignment which includes the product.

(3) Pending removal pursuant to paragraph (2) the person responsible for the consignment which includes the product shall store it under the supervision of the official veterinary surgeon at such place and under such conditions as the official veterinary surgeon may direct and shall pay the costs of such storage.

Certificate of veterinary clearance to accompany consignment

20.—(1) The person responsible for a consignment or part of a consignment in respect of which a certificate of veterinary clearance has been issued, and any carrier who has or takes charge of it, shall ensure that the certificate of veterinary clearance accompanies the consignment or part –

(a) in the case of a consignment or part intended for import, and subject to regulation 33(3), until the consignment or part first reaches, after import, premises where products are stored, processed, handled, bought or sold; and

(b) in all other cases until the consignment or part is no longer subject to supervision by the customs authorities within the meaning of Article 4(13) of the Customs Code.

(2) The person who occupies for the purposes of his business the premises referred to in paragraph (1)(a) shall take possession of the certificate of veterinary clearance referred to in paragraph (1) and retain the same at the premises for a period of one year commencing with the day following its arrival there.

Products which fail veterinary checks

21.—(1) This regulation applies, subject to regulation 22 –

(a) where, following a veterinary check at a border inspection post, the official veterinary surgeon there decides that a product (other than a transit product which fulfils the requirements of Part VI or a product referred to in regulation 15(1)(b)) is a non-conforming product, or that there is some other irregularity in relation to the product; and

(b) where, following a veterinary check on a product located away from a border inspection post (other than a transit product which fulfils the requirements of Part VI or a product whose destination establishment is referred to in regulation 15(1)(b)), an authorised officer decides that the product is a non-conforming product.

(2) If paragraph (1)(a) applies, the official veterinary surgeon shall serve a notice on the person responsible for the product, and if paragraph (1)(b) applies, an authorised officer shall serve a notice on the person appearing to him to have charge of the product, requiring him either –

(a) to redispatch the product from the border inspection post, or, if paragraph (1)(b) applies, from the nearest border inspection post, by the mode of transport by which it was introduced into Northern Ireland, to a destination, agreed with the official veterinary surgeon or the authorised officer, located in a third country within a period of sixty days commencing with the day following the service of the notice; or

(b) to destroy the product without undue delay by rendering or incineration in accordance with the provisions of the Animal By-Products Order in the facilities provided for that purpose nearest to the border inspection post, or, if paragraph (1)(b) applies, nearest to the location of the product.

(3) The product must be destroyed in accordance with paragraph (2)(b) where –

(a) its redispatch is precluded on animal or public health grounds by the results of a veterinary check, or by any animal or public health requirement laid down in a Community instrument in force on the date on which these Regulations are made, or is otherwise impossible; or

(b) the sixty-day period referred to in paragraph (2)(a) has elapsed; or

(c) the person responsible for the product or, if paragraph (1)(b) applies, the owner of the product, agrees immediately to its destruction.

(4) The person responsible for, or, if paragraph (1)(b) applies, the owner of, a product in respect of which a notice has been served pursuant to paragraph (2) shall ensure that it is stored until redispatch or destruction under the supervision of the official veterinary surgeon or the authorised officer at such place and under such conditions as he may in the notice direct.

(5) In paragraph (1)(a) “other irregularity” in relation to a product means –

(a) its introduction into Northern Ireland from a third country, or its presentation to a border inspection post of destination in Northern Ireland, without notice given pursuant to regulation 17;

(b) any false or misleading information contained in a notice given pursuant to regulation 17;

(c) any false or misleading information given pursuant to regulation 41 or 45;

(d) any error, omission or false or misleading information in a required document, and any discrepancy between a required document and –

(i) the notice of the product’s introduction or presentation given pursuant to regulation 17; or

(ii) the product itself; or

(iii) the seals, stamps, marks or labels on the product, on the consignment which includes the product or on the container holding the product or the consignment;

(e) any defect in the product rendering it unfit for the purpose for which, according to the required documents, it is intended;

(f) any defect in the seals, stamps, marks or labels referred to in sub-paragraph (d)(iii), including, in the case of a packaged product, any contravention of the labelling requirements laid down for that product in any directive, decision or regulation listed in Schedule 2;

(g) in the case of a product intended for import, any indication in the required documents that the product does not comply with the import conditions; and

(h) in the case of a non-conforming product which is a transit product or a product whose destination establishment is referred to in regulation 15(1)(b) any contravention of the requirements laid down for that non-conforming product in any directive, decision or regulation listed in Schedule 2.

(6) Any person who is aggrieved by a decision referred to in paragraph (1)(a) or (b) may appeal to a court of summary jurisdiction at any time before the expiration of one month beginning with the date on which he is notified of the decision, and Part VII of the Magistrates Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981(18) shall apply accordingly.

(7) Pending the determination of an appeal pursuant to paragraph (6), paragraph (4) shall apply to the storage of the product concerned.

Treatment as animal by-products

22.  Paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) of regulation 21 shall not apply where –

(a) in the opinion of the official veterinary surgeon or the authorised officer the product concerned presents no risk to animal or public health; and

(b) the official veterinary surgeon or the authorised officer has authorised that the product be consigned for one of the uses specified in Article 5(1)(d), (e), (f) or (g) of the Animal By-Products Order.

Products containing unauthorised substances and excess residues

23.—(1) In this regulation –

(a) “maximum residue limit” means a maximum residue limit listed in Annex I or Annex III to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2377/90 laying down a Community procedure for the establishment of maximum residue limits of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin(19);

(b) “unauthorised substance” has the same meaning as “unauthorised substance or product” in Council Directive 96/23/EC on measures to monitor certain substances and residues thereof in live animals and animal products and repealing Directives 85/358/EEC and 86/469/EEC and Decisions 89/187/EEC and 91/664/EEC(20).

(2) This regulation applies where a veterinary check on a consignment from a particular establishment of origin in a third country reveals the presence of an unauthorised substance, or reveals that the maximum residue limit has been exceeded, but no Community measures have yet been adopted in response to this.

(3) In the circumstances described in paragraph (2), paragraphs (4), (5), (6) and (7) shall apply to those of the next ten consignments introduced into the United Kingdom from that establishment which are introduced into Northern Ireland.

(4) The official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post at which any such consignment is introduced shall, by notice served on the person responsible for the consignment, take charge of it and check the residues in the consignment by taking and analysing a representative sample of the products comprised in it.

(5) Upon service of a notice under paragraph (4), the person responsible for the consignment shall lodge with the official veterinary surgeon a deposit or guarantee sufficient to assure payment of all charges payable in accordance with Part IX for veterinary checks carried out on the consignment, including the taking of samples, and any laboratory test or analysis carried out on any sample taken.

(6) If any veterinary check carried out on the consignment reveals the presence of unauthorised substances or their residues or reveals that a maximum residue limit has been exceeded, the official veterinary surgeon shall –

(a) endorse on the required documents relating to the consignment a clear indication of the reasons for rejecting it; and

(b) redispatch the consignment, or such part of it as the official veterinary surgeon considers affected by the presence of unauthorised substances or their residues or by excess residues, accompanied by the required documents, to its third country of origin.

(7) The cost of redispatching and transporting the consignment or part to its third country of origin shall be paid by the consignor whose name appears on the notice of the consignment’s introduction given pursuant to regulation 17.

Consignments and products illegally introduced

24.—(1) This regulation applies –

(a) where a consignment or product is introduced into Northern Ireland from a third country but is not presented in accordance with regulation 18;

(b) where a consignment or product originating in a third country has been introduced into Northern Ireland from elsewhere in the relevant territories, but has not been presented at a border inspection post there;

(c) where the border inspection post of destination of a consignment of Article 9 products is in Northern Ireland but the consignment is not presented there in accordance with regulation 18(1); and

(d) where a consignment introduced into Northern Ireland is presented to the official veterinary surgeon at a border inspection post not designated and approved for veterinary checks on the products comprised therein.

(2) In the circumstances described in paragraph (1)(a), (b) and (c) an authorised officer, shall, by notice served on the person appearing to him to have charge of it, and, in the circumstances described in paragraph (1)(d), the official veterinary surgeon, shall, by notice served on the person responsible for it, take charge of the consignment or product and either –

(a) redispatch it, by the mode of transport by which it was first introduced into the relevant territories, to a destination, agreed with the owner, in the circumstances described in paragraph (1)(a), (b) and (c), or with the person responsible for the consignment, in the circumstances described in paragraph (1)(d), located in a third country within a period of sixty days commencing with the day following the service of the notice; or

(b) destroy it without delay in accordance with the Animal By-Products Order by rendering or incineration in the facilities provided for that purpose nearest to the place at which the authorised officer or official veterinary surgeon takes charge of it.

Products dangerous to animal or public health

25.  If an official veterinary surgeon or an authorised officer considers that a consignment or product from a third country presents a risk to animal or public health he shall, by notice served on the person appearing to him to have charge of the consignment or product, take charge of it and destroy it without delay in accordance with regulation 24(2)(b).

Serious or repeated infringements

26.—(1) Where the Department, Agency or a district council reasonably concludes, on the basis of the results of veterinary checks, that products from a particular third country, part of a third country or establishment in a third country are implicated in serious or repeated infringements of any requirement laid down in a Community instrument relating to animal or public health, paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) shall apply to those of the next ten consignments introduced into the United Kingdom from that third country, part of a third country or establishment, as the case may be, which are introduced into Northern Ireland.

(2) The official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post at which any such consignment is introduced shall, by notice served on the person responsible for the consignment, take charge of it and carry out a physical check thereon, including the taking of samples and laboratory tests and analyses.

(3) Upon service of a notice under paragraph (2) the person responsible for the consignment shall lodge with the official veterinary surgeon a deposit or guarantee sufficient to assure payment of all charges payable in accordance with Part IX for veterinary checks carried out on the consignment, including the taking of samples, and any laboratory test or analysis carried out on any sample taken.

(4) If any veterinary check carried out on the consignment reveals an infringement of any requirement laid down in a Community instrument relating to animal or public health, the official veterinary surgeon shall either redispatch or destroy the consignment in accordance with regulation 24(2).

Invalidation of veterinary documents

27.  Where an official veterinary surgeon or an authorised officer serves a notice requiring redispatch of a product pursuant to regulation 21(2)(a), or takes charge of a consignment in accordance with regulation 24(2), any person who has possession or control of the required documents relating to that product or consignment shall immediately submit them to the official veterinary surgeon or authorised officer, as the case may be, for invalidation.

Costs in respect of products redispatched or disposed of

28.—(1) The person responsible for the product or consignment concerned or, where a notice has been served on the person appearing to have charge of the product or consignment, the owner of the product or consignment, shall pay on demand the costs of storing, transporting, redispatching, disposing of and destroying any product or consignment redispatched or disposed of pursuant to regulation 21, 24, 25 or 26 as the case may be.

(2) Any cost referred to in paragraph (1) which is paid by an official veterinary surgeon, an authorised officer, the Department, a district council or the Agency shall be reimbursed on demand by, as the case may be, the person responsible for, or the owner of, the product or consignment.

PART IV ON-BOARD CATERING SUPPLIES

Disposal of unused catering supplies

29.—(1) Part III shall not apply to products on board means of transport operating internationally and intended for consumption by the crew or passengers of that means of transport which are introduced into Northern Ireland.

(2) Any person who introduces into Northern Ireland a product referred to in paragraph (1) or catering waste derived from such a product shall dispose of the same, or ensure that the same is disposed of, without delay in accordance with the provisions of the Animal By-Products Order, by a method specified in Article 5(1)(a), (b) or (c) of that Order.

PART V PRODUCTS INTENDED FOR IMPORT

Retention of documents at border inspection posts

30.  Where a documentary check has been carried out at a border inspection post on a product intended (whether directly or ultimately) for import, the person who presented the required documents relating to that product pursuant to regulation 18(1) shall surrender the same to the official veterinary surgeon at that border inspection post.

Evidence of certification of, and payment for, veterinary checks

31.  Where a certificate of veterinary clearance has been issued certifying that a consignment is fit for import, the person responsible for the consignment shall supply the Commissioners with evidence satisfactory to them that –

(a) the certificate has been issued; and

(b) all charges payable in accordance with Part IX for veterinary checks carried out on the consignment, including sampling, and for any test or analysis carried out on any samples taken, have been paid, or payment thereof has been assured by a deposit or guarantee satisfactory to the person to whom, pursuant to regulation 48(2), the charges are payable.

Products not intended for the United Kingdom

32.  Where –

(a) notice of introduction of a product has been given pursuant to regulation 17; and

(b) that notice specifies a member State other than the United Kingdom as the country of destination; and

(c) a certificate of veterinary clearance has been issued in respect of that product, authorising its import –

(i) into that member State or a particular area thereof in accordance with specific requirements, or

(ii) for specific purposes in accordance with conditions,

which requirements or conditions are laid down for products imported into that member State or particular area, or for products imported for those specific purposes, in any directive, decision or regulation listed in Schedule 2,

a person shall not, without reasonable excuse, prevent or delay the transport of that product to that member State.

Products transported under supervision

33.—(1) This regulation applies to products intended for import which are required by any directive, decision or regulation listed in Schedule 2 to be transported under veterinary supervision from the border inspection post at which they are first introduced into the relevant territories to their destination establishment.

(2) A person shall not remove a product to which this regulation applies from a border inspection post unless it is contained in a leak-proof container or means of transport which has been sealed by an officer of the Commissioners or by the official veterinary surgeon at that border inspection post.

(3) The person responsible for a product to which this regulation applies and any carrier who has or takes charge of it shall ensure that the product is transported without delay to its destination establishment and that the certificate of veterinary clearance issued in respect of the product accompanies it until the product reaches its destination establishment.

(4) Where a certificate of veterinary clearance has authorised import of a product to which this regulation applies for specific purposes as described in regulation 32(c)(ii), the person responsible for the product and any carrier who has charge of it for the time being shall ensure that it remains under the supervision of the Commissioners in accordance with the T5 procedure provided for in Articles 471 to 495 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 2454/93 laying down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs Code(21) until it reaches its destination establishment.

(5) An operator of a destination establishment or an intermediate storage warehouse shall give immediate written notification to the official veterinary surgeon who is responsible for the destination establishment or intermediate storage warehouse, as the case may be, of the arrival there of any product to which this regulation applies.

(6) An operator of a destination establishment shall ensure that a product to which this regulation applies undergoes at the destination establishment the treatment prescribed for it by the relevant directive, decision or regulation listed in Schedule 2.

Transhipment of products intended for import

34.—(1) This regulation applies to transhipped products where the border inspection post of introduction is in Northern Ireland.

(2) As soon as a product to which this regulation applies arrives at the border inspection post of introduction, the person responsible for the product shall notify the official veterinary surgeon there in writing or in computerised or other electronic form, of the exact location of the product, of the estimated time of its transhipment or unloading, and of its border inspection post of destination.

(3) Where a product to which this regulation applies is transhipped –

(a) from one aircraft to another, either directly or after being unloaded in a customs controlled area at the border inspection post of introduction for less than twelve hours, or

(b) from one sea-going vessel to another, either directly or after being unloaded in an area as aforesaid for less than seven days,

any person required by regulation 18 to present the product and its required documents, or to ensure that they are presented, to the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post of introduction, shall, if the official veterinary surgeon considers that the product presents a risk to animal or public health, permit the official veterinary surgeon, or an assistant appointed pursuant to regulation 6(1)(b), to carry out a documentary check on the required documents.

(4) Where a product to which this regulation applies is proposed to be unloaded from an aircraft for twelve hours or more, the person responsible for the product shall ensure that it is stored for not more than 48 hours under the supervision of the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post of introduction in a customs controlled area there and is then reloaded onto an aircraft for onward transport to its border inspection post of destination.

(5) Where a product to which this regulation applies is proposed to be unloaded from a sea-going vessel for seven days or more, the person responsible for the product shall ensure that it is stored for not more than twenty days under the supervision of the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post of introduction in a customs controlled area there and is then reloaded onto a sea-going vessel for onward transport to its border inspection post of destination.

(6) Any person required by regulation 18 to present a product to which paragraph (4) or paragraph (5) applies and its required documents to the official veterinary surgeon at a border inspection post of introduction shall permit the official veterinary surgeon there, or an assistant appointed pursuant to regulation 6(1)(b), to carry out a documentary check on the required documents and, if the official veterinary surgeon considers that the product presents a risk to animal or public health, an identity check of the product against the required documents and a physical check of the product.

(7) Where a product to which paragraph (4) applies is stored for more than 48 hours after unloading, or a product to which paragraph (5) applies is stored for more than twenty days after unloading, any person required by regulation 18 to present the product and its required documents to the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post of introduction, shall permit the official veterinary surgeon there, or an assistant appointed pursuant to regulation 6(1)(b), to carry out in all cases, an identity check of the product against the required documents and a physical check of the product.

PART VI TRANSIT PRODUCTS

Border inspection posts of entry and exit

35.  In this Part –

“border inspection post of entry” means the border inspection post at which a transit product enters the customs territory of the Community;

“border inspection post of exit” means the border inspection post through which a transit product is intended to leave the customs territory of the Community, as specified in the certificate of veterinary clearance relating thereto.

Prior authorisation of transit

36.  A person shall not introduce a transit product into Northern Ireland from a third country unless the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post of entry has previously authorised the transit of that product in writing.

Physical check of transit products

37.  Any person required by regulation 18 to present a transit product, or ensure that it is presented, to the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post of entry need permit the official veterinary surgeon, or an assistant appointed pursuant to regulation 6(1)(b), to carry out a physical check on the transit product only if the official veterinary surgeon considers that it presents a risk to animal or public health or reasonably suspects some other irregularity, as defined in regulation 21(5), in relation to the transit product.

Movement of transit products

38.—(1) A person shall not remove, or cause to be removed, a transit product from the border inspection post of entry unless the person responsible for the product has given a written undertaking to the official veterinary surgeon there to observe and perform the requirements of regulation 39.

(2) Where, at any time after removal from a border inspection post of entry, a transit product is transported through Northern Ireland by road, rail, waterway or air –

(a) the person responsible for the transit product and any carrier who has charge of it for the time being shall ensure that it is conveyed in a vehicle or container sealed by the customs or veterinary authorities responsible for the border inspection post of entry, accompanied by its required documents, any translations required under regulation 18(4) and the certificate of veterinary clearance relating to the transit product, to the border inspection post of exit under the supervision of the Commissioners in accordance with the external transit procedure referred to in Articles 91 to 97 of the Customs Code;

(b) a person shall not break the seals on the vehicle or container in which the transit product is conveyed, or unload the transit product, or split the consignment or part consignment which includes the transit product, or subject the transit product to any form of handling;

(c) the person responsible for the transit product and any carrier who has charge of it for the time being shall ensure that it leaves the customs territory of the Community at the border inspection post of exit not more than 30 days after removal from the border inspection post of entry (excluding the day of removal).

(3) A person shall not introduce a transit product into a free zone, a free warehouse or a customs warehouse in Northern Ireland.

Disposal of returned transit products

39.—(1) If a transit product is returned to Northern Ireland after leaving the customs territory of the Community, the person responsible for the transit product shall either –

(a) redispatch the transit product from the border inspection post to which it is returned to a third country by the mode of transport by which it was returned within sixty days of its return (excluding the day of return); or

(b) if the circumstances described in paragraph (2) apply, destroy the product without undue delay by rendering or incineration in accordance with the Animal By-Products Order in the facilities provided for that purpose nearest to the border inspection to which the product is returned.

(2) The transit product shall be destroyed in accordance with paragraph (1)(b) where –

(a) redispatch of the product is precluded on animal or public health grounds by the results of a physical check, or by any animal or public health requirements laid down in a Community instrument in force on the date on which these Regulations are made, or is otherwise impossible;

(b) the sixty day period referred to in paragraph (1)(a) has expired; or

(c) the person responsible for the transit product agrees immediately to its destruction.

(3) Any person who has possession or control of the required documents relating to a transit product to which paragraph (1) applies, or of the certificate of veterinary clearance relating thereto, shall submit them for invalidation to the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post to which the product is returned.

(4) The person responsible for a transit product to which paragraph (1) applies shall store it until redispatch or destruction under the supervision of the official veterinary surgeon at the border inspection post to which the product is returned at such place and in such conditions as the official veterinary surgeon may direct.

(5) The person responsible for a transit product to which paragraph (1) applies shall pay the costs of storing, transporting, redispatching and destroying it.

PART VII PRODUCTS INTENDED FOR WAREHOUSES OR SHIPS' STORES

Application of Part VII

40.  This Part applies to products whose destination establishment is –

(a) a warehouse in a free zone, a free warehouse or a custom warehouse, located in the customs territory of the Community, or

(b) a ships' store complying with Article 13 of Directive 97/78/EC located outside the United Kingdom.

Additional information to be given in advance

41.—(1) A person shall not introduce a product to which this Part applies into Northern Ireland, or present such a product to a border inspection post of destination in Northern Ireland, unless the official veterinary surgeon to whom notice of the product’s introduction or presentation is given pursuant to regulation 17 has been informed –

(a) whether the product is intended ultimately for import;

(b) if not, whether it is a transit product; and

(c) in any event whether the product complies with the import conditions.

(2) The information in paragraph (1)(a), (b) and (c) shall be given in writing and may be included in the notice of the product’s introduction or presentation given pursuant to regulation 17.

Physical check of non-conforming products

42.  Where the required documents indicate that a product to which this Part applies is a non-conforming product, any person required by regulation 18 to present it, or ensure that it is presented, to the official veterinary surgeon at a border inspection post need permit the official veterinary surgeon, or an assistant appointed pursuant to regulation 6(1)(b), to carry out a physical check on the product only if the official veterinary surgeon considers that it presents a risk to animal or public health.

Exclusion of non-conforming products from warehouses

43.  A person shall not introduce a non-conforming product into a warehouse in a free zone, a free warehouse or a customs warehouse in Northern Ireland.

PART VIII PRODUCTS RETURNED FROM THIRD COUNTRIES

Meaning of “export certificate”

44.  In this Part “export certificate” means a certificate attesting that a returned product complies with animal or public health standards, issued to facilitate its original export from the customs territory of the Community by the authority responsible for monitoring such standards at the returned product’s Community establishment of origin.

Additional documentation for returned products

45.  Any person who presents pursuant to regulation 18 a returned product and its required documents to an official veterinary surgeon shall present with the required documents –

(a) the export certificate relating to the returned product or a copy authenticated as true by the authority which issued it;

(b) a statement of the reasons why the returned product was refused by the third country;

(c) a declaration by the person responsible for the returned product that, since the returned product was originally exported from the customs territory of the Community, the import conditions relating to storage and transport have been complied with in relation to the returned product; and either

(d) in the case of a returned product not originally exported in a sealed container, a declaration by the person responsible for the returned product that it has not undergone any handling other than, in the case only of packaged products, loading and unloading of unopened packages; or

(e) in the case of returned product originally exported in a sealed container, a declaration by the carrier who introduces it into Northern Ireland that it has not been unloaded from the container in which it was exported or otherwise handled.

Physical check of returned products

46.  The person responsible for a returned product and any person required by regulation 18 to present it, or ensure that it is presented, to the official veterinary surgeon at a border inspection post need permit the official veterinary surgeon, or an assistant appointed pursuant to regulation 6(1)(b), to carry out a physical check on the returned product only if the official veterinary surgeon has reasonable grounds for believing –

(a) that these Regulations have not been, or are not being, complied with in relation to the returned product;

(b) that the returned product does not comply with the import conditions; or

(c) that the identity or destination of the returned product does not correspond with the information given on any relevant document.

Movement of returned products

47.—(1) A person shall not remove, or caused to be removed, a returned product from a border inspection post without the written authorisation of the official veterinary surgeon there.

(2) A person shall not remove a returned product from a border inspection post unless it is contained in a leak-proof container or means of transport which has been sealed by an officer of the Commissioners or by the official veterinary surgeon at that border inspection post.

(3) The person responsible for a returned product removed in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), and any carrier who has charge of it for the time being shall ensure that –

(a) it is conveyed directly to its Community establishment of origin in the sealed leak-proof container or means of transport referred to in paragraph (2); and

(b) the certificate of veterinary clearance issued in respect of the returned product accompanies it until the returned product reaches its Community establishment of origin.

(4) A person shall not break the seals on the container or means of transport in which the returned product is conveyed, or unload the returned product, or split the consignment or part consignment which includes the returned product, or subject the returned product to any form of handling, until it reaches its Community establishment of origin.

(5) The operator of the Community establishment of origin shall give immediate written notification of the arrival there of the returned product to the veterinary officer who is responsible for the establishment.

PART IX CHARGES FOR VETERINARY CHECKS

Payment of charges

48.—(1) A reasonable charge calculated in accordance with regulations 49 and 50 and Schedule 5 shall be made for veterinary checks carried out on a consignment at a border inspection post.

(2) The charge shall be made by and payable to the Department or, as the case may be, the district council which carried out the veterinary checks.

Calculation of charges

49.  The charge for veterinary checks shall cover the costs listed in Part I of Schedule 5 and shall be calculated in accordance with Part II, III, IV and V, as the case may be, of Schedule 5.

Conversion of charges to sterling

50.  Charges expressed in euro in Schedule 5 shall be converted to pounds sterling at the rate of conversion published in the “C” Series of the Official Journal of the European Communities in September of the calendar year preceding that in which the relevant veterinary check was carried out.

Liability for charges

51.  The person responsible for a consignment shall pay on demand the charge made for the veterinary checks carried out on the consignment.

Information relating to charges

52.—(1) The Department, or the district council shall, if so requested in writing, supply to any person who presents products pursuant to regulation 18, or to any organisation representing such persons, details of the calculations used to determine charges for veterinary checks and shall take into account any representations made by such person or organisation in determining such charges.

(2) If requested in writing so to do by the Department, a district council shall provide the Department with such information as it may require relating to the calculation of charges for veterinary checks, and with copies of any written representations made by persons or organisations referred to in paragraph (1).

Appeals against charges

53.—(1) Any person who has paid a charge for veterinary checks to a district council, and any organisation representing such persons, may, within 28 days of the charge being made, appeal to the Department on the ground that the amount of the charge is unreasonable.

(2) Where there is an appeal under paragraph (1), the Department shall consult with the district council and, if it is then satisfied that the amount of the charge is unreasonable, it shall so inform the district council, and the district council shall recalculate the amount of the charge in accordance with any directions given by the Department and repay to the person who has paid the charge, the difference between the original charge and the recalculated charge.

(3) Any person who has paid a charge for veterinary checks to the Department may, and any organisation representing such persons may, within 28 days of the charge being made, appeal to an independent person appointed by the Department on the ground that the amount of the charge is unreasonable.

(4) Where there is an appeal under paragraph (3), the independent person shall consult with the Department and, if then satisfied that the amount of charge is unreasonable, shall so inform the Department, and the Department shall recalculate the amount of the charge in accordance with any directions given by the independent person and repay to the person who has paid the charge, the difference between the original charge and the recalculated charge.

(5) The terms of appointment and the remuneration of the independent person referred to in paragraph (3) shall be determined by the Department.

PART X EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS

Disease outbreaks in third countries

54.—(1) Where the Department or the Agency learns of, or has reasonable grounds to suspect, the presence in any third country of a disease referred to in Council Directive 82/894/EEC on the notification of animal diseases within the Community(22), a zoonosis or other disease or phenomenon or circumstance liable to present a serious threat to animal or public health, the Department or the Agency may by declaration suspend, or impose conditions on, the introduction into Northern Ireland of any product from the whole or any part of that third country.

(2) Such a declaration shall be in writing and shall be published in such manner as the Department or the Agency thinks fit and shall specify the products and the third country or part thereof concerned.

(3) A declaration which imposes conditions on the introduction of any product from a third country or part thereof shall specify those conditions.

(4) Where a declaration is in force suspending the introduction of any product, a person shall not introduce that product into Northern Ireland from the third country or part thereof specified in the declaration.

(5) Where a declaration is in force imposing conditions on the introduction of any product, a person shall not introduce that product into Northern Ireland from the third country or part thereof specified in the declaration unless the product complies with the conditions specified in the declaration.

(6) A declaration may be modified, suspended or revoked by a further written declaration published, so far as is practicable, in the same manner and to the same extent as the original declaration.

PART XI OFFENCES AND PENALTIES

Obstruction

55.—(1) A person shall not –

(a) intentionally obstruct any person in the exercise of a power conferred by regulation 8 or 9 or in the performance of any other regulatory function;

(b) without reasonable cause fail to comply with a requirement made of him pursuant to regulation 8 or 9, or fail to give to any person exercising a power conferred by those regulations or performing any other regulatory function such assistance or information as that person may reasonably require of him for the purpose of exercising the power or performing the function;

(c) furnish to any person exercising a power conferred by regulation 8 or 9 or performing any other regulatory function any information which he knows to be false or misleading.

(2) Paragraph (1)(b) shall not require a person to answer any question or give any information if to do so might incriminate him.

Contraventions

56.  Any person who contravenes a provision of these Regulations listed in Schedule 6, or fails to comply with a notice served upon him pursuant to regulation 8(2) or regulation 21(2) shall be guilty of an offence.

Defence of due diligence

57.—(1) In any proceedings for an offence of contravening a provision of these Regulations listed in Part I of Schedule 6, it shall be a defence for the person charged to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence by himself or by a person under his control.

(2) If in any case the defence provided by paragraph (1) involves the allegation that the commission of the offence was due to an act or default of another person, or to reliance on information supplied by another person, the person charged shall not, without leave of the Court, be entitled to rely on that defence, unless –

(a) at least seven clear days before the hearing; and

(b) where he has previously appeared, or been brought, before a court in connection with the alleged offence, within one month of his first such appearance,

he has served on the prosecutor a notice in writing giving such information identifying or assisting in the identification of that other person as was then in his possession.

Penalties

58.—(1) A person guilty of the offence of contravening regulation 55(1)(a) or 55(1)(b) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to both.

(2) A person guilty of any other offence under these Regulations shall be liable –

(a) on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both.

PART XII NOTICES AND DECISIONS

Form and content of notices

59.  Any notice served by the Department or, as the case may be, the Agency, an official veterinary surgeon, or an authorised officer pursuant to a provision of these Regulations shall be in writing and may be made subject to conditions and may be amended, suspended or revoked in writing at any time.

Notification of decisions

60.  Where, under any provision of these Regulations, a decision is taken in relation to a product or consignment, the person taking the decision shall, if so requested, notify the person responsible for the product or consignment in writing of the decision and the reasons for it, together with details of his right of appeal against the decision including the procedure and time limits applicable.

PART XIII DISAPPLICATIONS, CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS AND REVOCATION

Disapplication of existing provisions

61.—(1) The Landing of Carcases and Animal Products Order (Northern Ireland) 1985(23) shall not apply to products to which these Regulations apply, except the products referred to in regulation 3(1) and (2).

(2) The provisions listed in Schedule 7 shall not apply, to the extent indicated in column 3 of that Schedule, to products to which these Regulations apply.

Consequential amendments and revocation

62.—(1) The Regulations specified in Schedule 8 are amended as set out in that Schedule.

(2) The Food and Animal Feedingstuffs (Products of Origin from China) (Emergency Control) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002(24) are hereby revoked.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on 7th November 2002.

L.S.

L. G. McKibben

A senior officer of the

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development