
1 

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004.
(2) Regulation 2(3) and regulation 2(1) (to the extent that it applies to regulation 2(3)) come into operation on 15th June 2005.
(3) The remainder of these Regulations come into operation on 15th June 2004.
(4) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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(1) The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 are amended in accordance with the remaining paragraphs.
(2) In Schedule 1 (the licensing of slaughtermen), the following is added after sub-paragraph 9(2) –“
(3) Any person whose licence has been suspended or revoked under sub-paragraph (1) shall, whether or not that suspension or revocation is the subject of an appeal pursuant to paragraph 11, surrender it to the Department within 14 days of receipt of a notice informing them of the suspension or revocation”.
(3) In Schedule 4 (restraint of animals before stunning, slaughter or killing), the following is substituted for sub-paragraph 6(2)(c) –“
(c) no bird is suspended for more than 3 minutes in the case of a turkey or 2 minutes in other cases before being stunned or killed”.
(4) In Schedule 6 (bleeding or pithing of animals), sub-paragraphs 2(3) and 2(4) are deleted.
(5) In Schedule 9 (slaughter or killing methods for the purpose of disease control), the following is added after sub-paragraph 2(f) –“
(g) for birds, a pneumatic or cartridge operated percussive device producing immediate death, provided that nothing more is done to a bird before it has been ascertained that the bird is dead”.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on 5th May 2004.
David Small
Senior Officer of the
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
