The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995

Codes of practice

7.—(1) The Ministers may from time to time, after consultation with such organisations as appear to them to represent the interests concerned—

(a) prepare and issue codes of practice for the purpose of providing guidance in respect of these Regulations; and

(b) revise any such code by revoking, varying, amending or adding to the provisions of the code.

(2) A code prepared in pursuance of this regulation and any alterations proposed to be made on a revision of such a code shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament, and the Ministers shall not issue the code or revised code, as the case may be, until after the end of a period of 40 days beginning on the day on which the code or the proposed alterations to it were so laid.

(3) If, within the period mentioned in paragraph (2) above, either House resolves that the code be not issued or the proposed alterations be not made, the Ministers shall not issue the code or revised code (without prejudice to their power under that paragraph to lay further codes or proposed alterations before Parliament).

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (2) above—

(a) where a code or proposed alterations are laid before each House of Parliament on different days, the later day shall be taken as the day on which the code or the proposed alterations, as the case may be, was or were laid before both Houses of Parliament; and

(b) in reckoning any period of 40 days no account shall be taken of any time during which Parliament is dissolved or prorogued or during which both Houses are adjourned for more than four days.

(5) The Ministers shall cause any code issued or revised under this regulation to be printed and distributed, and may make such arrangements as they think fit for its distribution, including causing copies of it to be put on sale to the public at such reasonable price as the Ministers may determine.

(6) A failure on the part of any person to follow any guidance contained in a code issued under this regulation shall not of itself render that person liable to proceedings of any kind.

(7) If, in proceedings against any person for an offence consisting of the contravention of any provision of these Regulations, it is shown that, at any material time, he failed to follow any guidance contained in a code issued under this regulation, being guidance which was relevant to the provision concerned, that failure may be relied upon by the prosecution as tending to establish his guilt.