Hill Farming Act 1946

18 Control of rams in England and Wales

(1) For the purpose of improving the quality of sheep the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries may make regulations for controlling the keeping of rams and uncastrated ram lambs on land in England or Wales of such description as may be specified in the regulations, and, without prejudice to the generality of this subsection, any such regulations—

(a) may prohibit persons from permitting to be on any such land as aforesaid in any area specified in the regulations—

(i) any ram or uncastrated ram lamb unless it has been approved under the regulations as being suitable for the purpose of breeding from the flocks from time to time on any such land in that area ; or

(ii) any ram or uncastrated ram lamb declared, in manner provided by the regulations, to be, in the opinion of the said Minister, not so suitable ;

(b) may prohibit persons from permitting any ram or uncastrated ram lamb to be, during such period as may be specified in the regulations, on any such land as aforesaid in any area so specified, except under the authority of a licence granted in that behalf by the said Minister ;

(c) may provide for the inspection of rams and uncastrated ram lambs ;

(d) may provide for the marking, in accordance with the regulations, of any ram or uncastrated ram lamb inspected under the regulations according as it appears to the person or authority by whom the inspection is carried out to be suitable or unsuitable for the purpose of breeding from the flocks from time to time on land in any area specified in the regulations ; and

(e) may provide for requiring the slaughter or castration within such time as may be specified in the requisition of any ram or uncastrated ram lamb which, upon being inspected under the regulations, appears to the person or authority by whom the inspection is carried out to be—

(i) of defective or inferior conformation and likely to beget defective or inferior' progeny ;

(ii) permanently affected with any contagious or infectious disease ; or

(iii) permanently affected with any other disease rendering the ram or lamb unsuitable for breeding purposes ;

and may empower such person or authority as may be specified in the regulations to cause a ram or ram lamb in respect of which default is made in complying with any such requisition as aforesaid to be castrated or slaughtered, and provide for the recovery of the cost incurred thereby from the person in default.

(2) Regulations under this section may contain such incidental and supplemental provisions as appear to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries to be requisite or expedient for the purposes thereof, and may make different provision in relation to land in' different areas and different descriptions of rams and lambs.