Marketing of Potatoes Act (Northern Ireland) 1964

8 Power to enter premises and examine potatoes. N.I.

(1) Any authorised officer shall for the purposes of this Act have power (on production, if demanded, of his authority to act as such officer)—

(a) to enter, at all reasonable times, any premises owned, occupied or used or suspected by him upon reasonable grounds of being owned, occupied or used by any person for the purpose of trade in potatoes and to inspect therein any potatoes in the possession of such person and any process connected with the grading and packing of potatoes in such premises;

(b )F1 to enter at all reasonable times the premises of, or used by, any person engaged in the business of carrying goods for reward, any pier, quay, wharf, jetty, dock, dock premises or aerodrome and any ship, boat, aircraft, railway waggon, motor lorry, cart or other vessel or vehicle used for the conveyance of goods and to open, for the purpose of inspection, any package of potatoes which may be found in or upon any premises, place, vessel, vehicle or aircraft which he is entitled to enter under this paragraph;

(c) to inspect potatoes and to take, for the purpose of examination, samples of potatoes.

(2) Where an inspection of potatoes under this Act is made whilst the potatoes are in transit and an authorised officer is satisfied that the potatoes do not conform to the prescribed standard of quality or are not graded, packed and labelled in the prescribed manner, the Ministry or officer may direct that the potatoes shall be returned to the consignor at the place from which they were consigned or, if the Ministry or officer approves, at such other place within Northern Ireland as the consignor may elect and thereupon the carrier or the consignor, as the case may require, shall, at the expense of the consignor, proceed to execute such direction with all reasonable speed.

(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorising anything to be done to the prejudice of any powers of a carrier to secure payment of freight charges in respect of any consignment carried by him.

F1 SI 1972/971