The BSE Monitoring (Scotland) Regulations 2001

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make provision for the purpose of dealing in Scotland with the obligations in Article 1.2 of Commission Decision 2000/764/EC on the testing of bovine animals for the presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and amending Decision 98/272/EC on epidemio-surveillance for transmissible encephalopathies and Commission Decision 2001/233/EC amending Decision 2000/418/EC as regards mechanically recovered meat and bovine vertebral column. These require member States to ensure that certain categories of bovine animals over 30 months of age are examined in accordance with prescribed minimum requirements for monitoring BSE.

The Regulations require the person in possession or in charge of a notifiable bovine animal (defined in regulation 2 as a bovine animal aged over 30 months of age which dies on any farm or in transit or which has been killed otherwise than for human consumption) to notify the death to the Scottish Ministers or an agent appointed for that purpose. Related amendments for the purpose of dealing with this obligation are made to article 11 of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (No. 2) Order 1996, to the Cattle Identification Regulations 1998 and to the Cattle (Identification of Older Animals) (Scotland) Regulation 2001.

The Regulations provide powers of entry, examination and search, offences and penalties and enforcement.

A Regulatory Impact Assessment for these Regulations has been prepared and placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Copies may be obtained from SEERAD, Robb’s Loan, Edinburgh, EH14 1TY.