These Regulations, which extend to Scotland only, further amend the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/540, as already amended, which extend to the whole of Great Britain). They implement that part of Article 5.1(b) of Council Directive 71/118/EEC on health problems affecting the production and placing on the market of fresh poultrymeat (a consolidated text of which is annexed to Council Directive 92/116/EEC (O.J. No. L 62, 15.3.93, p.1)) that prohibits poultrymeat from being placed on the market for human consumption if it has been treated with water retention agents or obtained under technologically similar conditions and is likely as a result to present the same risk.

The above prohibition is implemented by making an appropriate amendment to regulation 14(2) of S.I. 1995/540 (regulation 2(2)).

These Regulations also make consequential changes to regulation 14(9) of S.I. 1995/540 (regulation 2(3)) and to Schedule 2 to the Products of Animal Origin (Import and Export) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/3124, as already amended) (regulation 3).

A full regulatory impact assessment, which includes a compliance cost assessment, of the effect which these Regulations will have on business costs has been prepared and placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Copies may be obtained from the Food Standards Agency (Scotland), 6th Floor, St Magnus House, 25 Guild Street, Aberdeen AB11 6NJ.