Competent authority
3.—(1) The Department is the competent authority for the purposes of the Council Regulation and the Commission Regulation.
(2) Where fishery products are imported into Northern Ireland by container ship, air, road or rail, the district council is also the competent authority in its district for the purposes of the provisions referred to in paragraph (3).
(3) The provisions are—
(a)Article 12(2) of the Council Regulation (catch certificates accompanying fishery products);
(b)Article 14(1) and (2) of the Council Regulation (receipt of catch certificates, documentation, and statements describing consignments where fishery products have been processed in a third country or have come via a third country);
(c)Article 16(1) and (2) of the Council Regulation (checking catch certificates and receiving information from approved economic operators);
(d)Article 17(2) of the Council Regulation and Article 20 of the Commission Regulation (verifications); and
(e)Article 18(1) to (3) of the Council Regulation (refusal of importation).