The Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (Amendment No.3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, S.R. 2002 No. 225 (“the 2002 Regulations”), which give effect in Northern Ireland to the enforcement and administration of Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22nd May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Other amending Regulations are S.R. 2003 No. 495, S.R. 2003 No. 509, S.R. 2004 No. 388, S.R. 2005 No. 25 and S.R. 2005 No. 200.

These Regulations also give effect in part to Article 16a of Council Directive 95/53/EC of 25th October 1995 fixing the principles governing the organization of official inspections in the field of animal nutrition (O.J. No. L265, 8.11.95, p.17). Article 16a was inserted by Directive 2001/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (O.J. No. L234, 1.9.2001, p.55). The relevant provision is contained in new regulation 25B of the 2002 Regulations, inserted by regulation 8.

The main changes are as follows:

Amendments are made to certain definitions contained in regulation 3 of the 2002 Regulations (regulation 4);

New regulation 10A of, and new Schedule 1A to, the 2002 Regulations make provision for a regime for the slaughter for human consumption of cattle over thirty months of age and new regulation 10B prohibits consignment to a slaughterhouse of a bovine animal born or reared in the United Kingdom before 1st August 1996 or imported into the United Kingdom before 1st August 1996 (regulation 5 and the Schedule);

Regulation 23 of the 2002 Regulations is amended to make provision relating to the use of premises for the production of feedingstuffs containing fishmeal (regulation 6);

New regulation 25A of the 2002 Regulations contains further provisions about feedingstuffs containing fishmeal and new regulation 25B relates to the submission of samples of feedingstuffs to laboratories (regulation 8);

Regulations 33 and 36 of the 2002 Regulations are amended to make provision for the enforcement of measures contained in Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001 concerning the labelling of bovine carcases containing vertebral column and the removal of vertebral column from such carcases (regulations 10 and 11);

Regulation 37 of the 2002 Regulations is replaced by a new regulation relating to the removal of spinal cord from sheep and goats (regulation 12);

Regulation 38 of the 2002 Regulations is replaced by a new regulation relating to the stamping of the carcases of young lambs and young goats from which the spleen and ileum have been removed (regulation 13).