16.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), if a person discloses information which—
(a)relates to a trade secret or secret manufacturing process, and
(b)was obtained by him by virtue of these Regulations when he was an inspector or a person who accompanied an inspector by virtue of paragraph 3 of Schedule 7,
he shall be guilty of an offence unless the disclosure was made in the performance of his duty as an inspector or such other person.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1) information disclosing the identity of the packer of a package or the identity of the person who arranged with the packer of a package for the package to be made up shall be treated as a trade secret unless the information has previously been disclosed in a manner which made it available to the public.
(3) It shall not be an offence under paragraph (1) for a person to disclose information in circumstances where—
(a)the person from whom the public authority received the information has consented to its disclosure; or
(b)the information is disclosed more than 50 years after it was received by the public authority.