The Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012

Offences and penalties

19.—(1) Any person who contravenes the provisions of regulation 10(3) or (4), 12(8) or 18(2) is guilty of an offence.

(2) Any person who intentionally obstructs any person acting in the execution of Regulation 1935/2004, Regulation 1895/2005, Regulation 2023/2006, Regulation 450/2009, Regulation 10/2011 or these Regulations is guilty of an offence.

(3) Any person who without reasonable excuse, fails to provide any assistance or information which that person may reasonably require for the performance of their functions under the Regulations mentioned in paragraph (2); or fails to comply with Regulation 10(6) is guilty of an offence.

(4) Any person who in purported compliance with any requirement mentioned in paragraph (3), knowingly or recklessly supplies information that is false or misleading in any material particular, is guilty of an offence.

(5) Any person guilty of an offence under these Regulations is liable —

(a) in the case of an offence created by paragraph (1) or (4) or regulation 4(3), 5, 7(1), 14(1) or 16(4) —

(i) on conviction on indictment to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both; or

(ii) on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum; and

(b) in the case of an offence created by paragraph (2) or (3) or regulation 7(2) or 14(2), on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

(6) Nothing in paragraph (2) or (3) is to be construed as requiring any person to answer any question or give any information if to do so might incriminate them.