Poultry Improvement Act (Northern Ireland) 1968

10 Offences. N.I.

(1) Subject to the provisions of section 11, a person shall be guilty of an offence if he or any person acting on his behalf—

(a) wilfully obstructs or impedes an authorised officer in the exercise of any powers conferred on the officer by virtue of this Act or without reasonable cause fails to give to any authorised officer acting under this Act any assistance or information which the authorised officer may reasonably require of him for the purposes of the performance by the authorised officer of his functions under this Act; or

(b) alters or fraudulently uses any licence, permit or other document issued or granted under this Act; or

(c) in connection with the application for or the issue of a licence or the grant of a permit, or in any record kept or return made, under this Act knowingly or recklessly makes any statement or entry or furnishes or with intent to deceive makes use of any information which is false in a material particular or in any material respect misleading; or

(d) contravenes any provision of this Act or of any scheme or regulation made thereunder, or fails to comply with either any requirement duly made of him by the Ministry in pursuance of any such provision or any condition of a licence issued or permit granted under this Act.

(2) A person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (1)( a) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding[F1 level 3 on the standard scale].

(3) A person who is guilty of an offence under any provision of subsection (1), other than paragraph ( a) thereof, or under the provision contained in paragraph 11(4) of the Schedule shall be liable on summary convictionF1 . . . to a fine not exceeding[F1 level 3 on the standard scale]F1 . . . .

(4) The Ministry may in any scheme made under this Act or in any regulations provide for the imposition in respect of any contravention of any provision of the scheme or, as the case may be, of the regulations, or any failure to comply with any requirement made thereunder, of a lower maximum penalty than the penalty specified in paragraph ( a) or ( b) of subsection (3), and where the Ministry so provides that paragraph shall have effect in relation to any such contravention or failure as if the reference therein to that penalty were a reference to that lower penalty.

(5) Where a person is convicted of an offence under subsection (1)( d) and the contravention or failure in respect of which he was convicted is continued after conviction, he shall be guilty of a further offence and shall be liable on summary conviction, in addition to any other penalty, to a fine not exceeding[F1 level 1 on the standard scale] for each day on which the contravention or failure is so continued.

(6) An offence under subsection (5) shall be a continuing offence and accordingly fresh proceedings in respect thereof may be taken from time to time.

(7) No proceedings for an offence under any of the provisions of this Act may be instituted except—

(a) by the Ministry, or

(b) by, or with the consent of, the Attorney General.

F1 1984 NI 3