Specified Risk Material (Amendment) (No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order.)

This Order makes further amendments to the Specified Risk Material Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Order”). The amendments reflect the provisions of Annex XI to Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001 (O.J. No. L147, 31.5.2001, p.1) of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. That Annex imposed transitional measures with regard to the removal of specified risk material and was inserted into Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001 by Article 3 of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1326/2001 (O.J. No. L177, 30.6.2001, p. 60).

In Article 2 of the principal Order, a definition of vertebral column is added at the end of paragraph (1) and a new paragraph (5) is added (Article 2(2) and (3)).

Article 3 of the principal Order (which defines “specified sheep and goat material”) is amended to exclude from the scope of the definition material derived from sheep and goats born, continuously reared and slaughtered in certain third countries (Article 2(4) and (5)).

Article 4 of the principal Order (which defines “specified bovine material”) is substantially revised so that, in particular, material derived from bovine animals born, continuously reared and slaughtered in certain third countries is now outside the scope of the definition (Article 2(6)).

Article 6 of the principal Order (which regulates the import of specified risk material) is amended to impose new requirements for the import of carcases of bovine animals containing vertebral column which are specified risk material; and a new form of importation certificate is substituted in Schedule 2 (Article 2(7) and (8)).