(1)An authorised officer shall, without prejudice to any other provision of this Act, have power—
(a)to enter at all reasonable times any premises owned or occupied for the purpose of his slaughter-house by or on behalf of a licence-holder, and to inspect any process, plant, equipment or appliance used in or in connection with that slaughter-house, or any animal, meat, offals or any other substance or thing being in his possession for the purpose of that slaughter-house;
(b)to take for the purpose of expert examination samples of meat or offals found in his possession for the purpose of his slaughter-house.
(2)If the Ministry has reason to believe that, in contravention of sub-section (7) of section one of this Act, any animal has been or is about to be slaughtered in or at any premises or place, the Ministry may specially authorise any of its officers to enter such premises or place, and an officer so authorised shall have the like powers of entry, inspection and taking samples as are conferred on an authorised officer by the preceding sub-section.
(3)An authorised officer exercising any power conferred on him by or under this Act shall produce his authority if so requested by or on behalf of the owner or occupier of the premises wherein, or in relation to which, he is exercising or is about to exercise such power.
(4)Any person who—
(a)obstructs or impedes an authorised officer in the exercise of any power conferred on him by this Act;
(b)fraudulently alters or uses, or causes or permits to be fraudulently altered or used, any licence or other document issued or granted under or by virtue of this Act;
(c)being a licence-holder, makes any false or fraudulent statement in any record kept by him under or by virtue of this Act;
(d)acts in contravention of or neglects or fails to comply with any provision of this Act or of any regulation made thereunder;
shall be guilty of an offence against this Act.
(5)A person guilty of an offence against this Act shall on summary conviction thereof be liableF1... to a fine not exceeding[F1 level 4 on the standard scale]F1; and where any such offence is continued after conviction, to a further fine of [F2 £25] for each day during which the offence is continued.
(6)Subject to the provisions of section two hundred and sixty-fourF3 of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878 [1878 c.52] , where an offence against this Act was committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been so committed with the consent or approval, or to have been facilitated by any neglect or default on the part, of any director, manager, secretary or other officer thereof, such director, manager, secretary or other officer shall be deemed to be guilty of such offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(7)All offences against this Act shall be prosecuted, and all fines in respect thereof shall be recovered, in manner provided by the Summary Jurisdiction Acts (Northern Ireland).
(8)A prosecution for an offence against this Act shall not be instituted otherwise than by or with the consent of the Attorney-General or the Ministry, except—
(a)a prosecution for an offence committed by an officer of the Ministry;
(b)a prosecution by a local authority for an offence against this Act which is also an offence against any enactment relating to the sale of food or the public health and enforceable by such authority:
Provided that this sub-section shall not be construed as rendering any person liable to be punished more than once for any offence.