The Beef Special Premium Regulations 1996

Powers of authorised persons

14.—(1) An authorised person may at all reasonable hours and on producing, if so required, some fully authenticated document showing his authority, exercise the powers specified in this regulation for the purposes of–

(a) carrying out any specified control measure; or

(b) ascertaining whether or not an offence under regulation 18(a) or (d) has been or is being committed.

(2) An authorised person may enter any land, other than land used only as a dwelling, which is, or which such person has reasonable cause to believe to be, land occupied by, or in the posession of–

(a) a person who has applied for a national administrative document; or

(b) an applicant.

(3) An authorised person who has entered any land by virtue of paragraph (2)(a) may inspect and count any animals on such land and read the ear-tags of any such animals.

(4) An authorised person who has entered any land by virtue of paragraph (2)(b) may–

(a) inspect and verify the total area of land, including forage area, managed by an applicant;

(b) inspect and count any animals on such land and read the ear-tags of any such animals;

(c) carry out any other activity which is a specified control measure; and

(d) inspect that land for the purpose of determining whether or not it has been overgrazed or unsuitable supplementary feeding methods have been used on it.

(5) An authorised person entering any land by virtue of this regulation may take with him such other persons as he considers necessary.

(6) An authorised person may–

(a) require a person who has applied for a national administrative document, or any employee, servant or agent of such a person, to produce any bill, account, receipt, voucher or other record relating to an animal for which a national administrative document has been issued or applied for, and to supply such additional information in that person’s possession or under his control relating to such animal as the authorised person may reasonably request;

(b) require an applicant or any employee, servant or agent of an applicant to produce any national administrative document issued in respect of an animal for which Community premium has been applied for or any specified record, and to supply such additional information in that person’s possession or under his control relating to the particular application for Community premium as the authorised person may reasonably request;

(c) require a person who is selling any specified animal to produce or cause to be produced any national administrative document or any other document referred to in regulation 4(2) relating to that animal;

(d) inspect any national administrative document or other document referred to in sub-paragraph (b) or (c) of this paragraph and any specified record and, where any specified record is kept by means of a computer, have access to, and inspect and check the operation of, any computer and any associated apparatus or material which is or has been used in connection with that specified record;

(e) require that copies of, or extracts from, any national administrative document, other document referred to in regulation 4(2) or specified record be produced; and

(f) seize and retain any specified record which he has reason to believe may be required as evidence in proceedings under these Regulations and, where any such record is kept by means of a computer, require it to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away.