Welfare of Animals (Scheduled Operations) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2003

Made: 14th August 2003

To be laid before Parliament under paragraph 7(3) of the Schedule to the Northern Ireland Act 2000

Coming into operation: 29th September 2003

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development[^f00001], in exercise of the powers conferred on it by section 14(3) of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972[^f00002] and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1

This Order may be cited as the Welfare of Animals (Scheduled Operations) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 29th September 2003.

Amendment of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972

2

In Schedule 1 to the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (Operations which may be performed without an anaesthetic)[^f00003] for paragraph 7(ii)(b) there shall be substituted –

(b) in the case of a pig, before the age of eight days; and

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on 14th August 2003.

D. Small — A senior officer of the — Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order.)

This Order further amends Schedule 1 to the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. The effect of the amendment is to reduce the age beyond which castration of pigs may not be performed without anaesthetic from 4 weeks to 7 days in order to implement the requirement of paragraph 8 of chapter 1 of Annexe 1 to Commission Directive 2001/93/EC (O.J. No. L316, 1.12.2001, p. 36).

Footnotes

[^f00001]: Formerly the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland; see S.I. 1999/283 (N.I.) Article 3(4)

[^f00002]: 1972 c. 7 (N.I.)

[^f00003]: As amended by S.R. 1983 No. 309, S.R. 1995 No. 173 and S.R. 1996 No. 514