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FOOD AND DRUGS ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1958 - SECT 74

1954 c.33

74.(1) This Act may be cited as the Food and Drugs Act (Northern Ireland),
1958.

(2) Commencement.

1.(1) In this Schedule

"the Act of 1955" means the Food and Drugs Act, 1955;

"the Minister" means the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food;

"order" and "regulations" mean, respectively, an order or regulations made
under the Act of 1955 and applying to Northern Ireland;

"ship" includes any boat or craft.

(2) In any provision of this Act applied for the purpose of the enforcement
and execution of any order or regulation the expression "sampling officer"
shall include an officer authorised in that behalf by the Minister.

2. It shall be the duty of the Minister to enforce and execute the provisions
of any order.

3. For the purpose of ascertaining whether there is or has been any
contravention of the provisions of any order or regulations an inspector of
the Minister shall have the like powers of entry as are exercisable under
section forty-one and section forty-two by an authorised officer of a
[district council]; and in relation to any such inspector the reference in
sub-section (3) of section forty-one to the [council] shall be construed as a
reference to the Minister.

4.(1) Without prejudice to the application of sub-sections (2) and (3) of
section twenty of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland), 1954 (which
relate to offences committed by bodies corporate), in relation to offences
under this Act, or any regulations, order or byelaw made thereunder,
sub-section (2) of the said section twenty shall, with the omission of the
words "subject to sub-section (3)", apply in relation to offences committed by
bodies corporate against any provision of any order or regulations.

(2) In the application by sub-paragraph (1) of sub-section (2) of section
twenty of the said Act of 1954 the expression "director", in relation to any
body corporate established by or under any enactment for the purpose of
carrying on under national ownership any industry or part of an industry or
undertaking, being a body corporate whose affairs are managed by the members
thereof, means a member of that body corporate.

5.(1) The Minister may, where he is of opinion that the general interests of
consumers are affected, institute proceedings for an offence against any
provision of regulations made under section four or section seven of the Act
of 1955, other than any such provision which it is the duty of a [district
council] to enforce and execute.

(2) A [district council] shall not, except so far as may be otherwise
prescribed by regulations made under section seven of the Act of 1955,
institute proceedings for an offence against any provision of those
regulations unless they have given to the Minister fourteen days' notice of
their intention to institute the proceedings, together with a summary of the
facts on which the charge is founded.

(3) A certificate of the Minister that the requirements of sub-paragraph (2)
have been complied with in relation to any proceedings shall be conclusive
evidence that they have been complied with in relation thereto; and any
document purporting to be such a certificate as aforesaid and to be signed by
or on behalf of the Minister shall be deemed to be such a certificate until
the contrary is shown.

6.(1) A person against whom proceedings are brought in respect of a
contravention of any order or regulation shall upon complaint duly made by
him, and on giving not less than three clear days' notice of his intention, be
entitled to have brought before the court in the proceedings any person to
whose act or default he alleges that the contravention of the provisions in
question was due, and the following provisions of this paragraph shall have
effect accordingly.

(2) Where, in accordance with sub-paragraph (1), another person has been
brought before the court and

(a)the contravention of the provisions in question has been proved; and

(b)the original defendant proves that the contravention was due to the act or
default of that other person;

(3) Where

(a)another person brought before the court in accordance with sub-paragraph
(1) has been convicted of the offence in accordance with sub-paragraph (2);
and

(b)the original defendant proves that he used all due diligence to secure that
the provisions in question were complied with;

(4) Where a defendant seeks to avail himself of the foregoing provisions of
this paragraph

(a)the prosecution, as well as the person whom the defendant charges with the
offence, shall have the right to cross-examine him, if he gives evidence, and
any witness called by him in support of his pleas, and to call rebutting
evidence;

(b)the court may make such order as it thinks fit for the payment of costs by
any party to the proceedings to any other party thereto.

(5) Where it appears to the Minister or, as the case may be, a [district
council] that an offence against any provision of an order or regulation has
been committed in respect of which proceedings might be taken against some
person, and the Minister or the [council] are reasonably satisfied that

(a)the offence was due to an act or default of some other person; and

(b)the first-mentioned person could establish a defence in accordance with the
foregoing provisions of this paragraph;

7. The provisions of this Act which are specified in the first column of the
following Table shall, subject to the modifications specified in relation
thereto in the second column of that Table, apply for the purposes of the
enforcement and execution of any order or regulation.

"(4A) Without prejudice to sub-section (4) a sampling officer

(a)may take a sample of milk while at any dairy, or while deposited for
collection, or at any time before it is delivered to a consumer in pursuance
of a sale by retail;

(b)may, at the request of a person to whom any food or substance is, or is to
be, delivered in pursuance of a contract of sale, take a sample of that food
or substance in the course of delivery, or at the place of delivery.";

"(5) Except as provided by sub-section (4A), or with the consent of the
purchaser, a sampling officer shall not take a sample of any food or substance
which appears to him to have been sold by retail, either while the food or
substance is in the course of delivery to the purchaser, or at any time after
such delivery; and nothing in this section shall authorise a sampling officer
to take a sample of any food or substance in a ship (not being a home-going
ship within the meaning of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955) or in any aircraft,
other than food imported as part of the cargo of that ship or aircraft.".

(7):

"(1A) An authorised officer of a [district council] shall, on producing if so
required, some duly authenticated document showing his authority, have a right
at all reasonable hours to enter any ship or aircraft for the purpose of
ascertaining whether there is in the ship or aircraft any food imported as a
part of the cargo in contravention of the provisions of regulations made under
Part I of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, and applying to Northern Ireland,
being provisions which the [district council] are required or empowered to
enforce.".

"(2) Sub-sections (3) to (5) of section forty-one shall apply in relation to
any ship, aircraft, vehicle, stall or place which may be entered under the
powers conferred by sub-sections (1) and (1A) of this section, and as if any
reference to the occupier of premises were a reference to the master,
commander or other person in charge of the ship, aircraft, vehicle, stall or
place.".

Third and Fourth Schedules rep. by SLR 1973

1954 c.33



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