The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety1 makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred on it by sections 66(1), 68(1), 74A(1), (2) and (4) and 84 of the Agriculture Act 19702, as read with regulation 14 of the Food Standards Act 1999 (Transitional and Consequential Provisions and Savings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 20003.

In so far as these Regulations cannot be made under the powers in the Agriculture Act 1970 specified above, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety makes these Regulations in exercise of its powers as a department designated for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 19724 in relation to the common agricultural policy of the European Community5, measures in the veterinary and phytosanitary fields for the protection of public health6 and measures relating to feed produced for or fed to food-producing animals7, as read with paragraph 1A of Schedule 2 to that Act.

These Regulations make provision for a purpose mentioned in section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 and it appears to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety that it is expedient for references to the Annexes to the EU instruments mentioned in regulation 2(3) to be construed as references to those Annexes as they may be amended from time to time.

There has been open and transparent public consultation during the preparation of these Regulations in accordance with the requirements of Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety8 or, in the case of provisions relating to feed for non food-producing animals, of section 84(1) of the Agriculture Act 1970.