AGRICULTURE Title and commencement 1 These Regulations may be cited as the Veal (Marketing Payment) Regulations 1997 and shall come into force on 15th August 1997. Interpretation 2 In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires— “the appropriate Minister” means— in relation to England, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; in relation to Scotland and Wales, the Secretary of State; and in relation to Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland; “authorised person” means a person (whether or not an officer of the Minister, the Secretary of State or the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland) who is authorised by the appropriate Minister, either generally or specially, to act in matters arising under these Regulations; “carcase” means the whole body of a slaughtered animal after bleeding, and evisceration, removal of the limbs at the carpus and tarsus, removal of the head, tail and udder and flaying; “holding” has the meaning given by Article 4(a) of Council Regulation ( EEC ) No. 805/68 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal , as last amended by Council Regulation ( EC ) 2222/96 ; “movement record”, in relation to a bovine animal, means a record made for the purposes of recording the movement of the animal to or from a holding, and includes any record made pursuant to article 5(1) of the Bovine Animals (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 1995 ; “payment” means a payment under these Regulations; “producer” means a producer within the meaning of Article 4a of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 805/68 , as last amended by Council Regulation (EC) 2222/96 ; and “veal calf” means a bovine animal which is intended for slaughter at an age of less than 12 months. Payment 3 1 Subject to the following provisions of these Regulations, the appropriate Minister may make a payment to a producer in respect of any veal calf— a kept prior to 20th March 1996 on a holding belonging to that producer; b either— i sold by that producer after 19th March 1996 and before 10th November 1996 for slaughter for human consumption; or ii slaughtered by that producer or on his behalf after 19th March 1996 and before 10th November 1996 for sale for human consumption; c for which no payment was made under the Beef (Marketing Payment) Regulations 1996 or the Beef (Marketing Payment) (No. 2) Regulations 1996 ; and d the carcase of which had, at the date of slaughter, a weight of not less than 80 kilogrammes and not more than 160 kilogrammes. 2 A payment may be made at such time and in such amount as the appropriate Minister may determine. Applications for payment 4 1 An application for payment shall be in such form, and shall contain such particulars and be accompanied by such documents relating to the application, as the appropriate Minister may require. 2 A producer who applies for payment shall deliver his application to the appropriate Minister by 15th September 1997. Records 5 A producer shall, in relation to any animal for which he has applied for payment, retain for four years beginning on the date on which an application for that payment was delivered to the appropriate Minister, any account, bill, invoice, movement record, slaughter record, receipt, sales note, voucher or other record relating to that animal. Powers of authorised persons 6 1 An authorised person may, at all reasonable hours and on producing, if so required, some duly authenticated document showing his authority, exercise the powers specified in this regulation— a for any purpose relating to the processing of an application for payment; or b for the purpose of ascertaining whether any offence under these Regulations has been or is being committed. 2 An authorised person may enter any land, other than land used solely as a private dwelling-house, which is, or which he has reasonable cause to believe to be— a land currently or formerly occupied by or in the possession of— i an applicant for payment; or ii a person who holds or who has been the holder of a licence under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 , or b premises which are or formerly were registered premises or EEC registered premises within the meaning of section 3 of the Agricultural Produce (Meat Regulation and Pig Industry) Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 . 3 An authorised person who has entered any land by virtue of paragraph (2) above may— a inspect and count any bovine animals on the land and read the ear-tags of any such animal; and b inspect any account, bill, invoice, movement record, slaughter record, receipt, sales note, voucher or other record relating to any veal calf. 4 An authorised person entering any land by virtue of paragraph (2) above may take with him such other persons as he considers necessary. 5 An authorised person may— a require any applicant for a payment, or any employee, servant or agent of such a person, to produce any account, bill, invoice, movement record, slaughter record, receipt, sales note, voucher or other record relating to any animal for which an application for payment has been made, and to supply such additional information in that person’s possession, custody or power relating to any such animal as the authorised person may reasonably request; b where any account, bill, invoice, movement record, slaughter record, receipt, sales note, voucher or other record relating to any animal for which an application for payment has been made is kept by means of a computer, have access to, and inspect and check the operation of, any computer and any associated apparatus or material which is or has been in use in connection with any such records; c require that copies of, or extracts from, any account, bill, invoice, movement record, slaughter record, receipt, sales note, voucher or other record relating to any animal for which an application for payment has been made be produced; and d seize and retain any such record which he has reason to believe may be required as evidence in proceedings under these Regulations and, where any such record is kept by means of a computer, require it to be produced in a form in which it may be taken away. Assistance to authorised persons 7 An applicant for payment and any employee, servant or agent of such a person, shall give to an authorised person such assistance as he may reasonably request to enable him to exercise any power conferred by regulation 6. Recovery of payment 8 Where a payment has been made— a in respect of an animal which does not satisfy the requirements of regulation 3; or b to a person who, in making the application for payment, or in furnishing any information in connection with the application, has made a statement which is false, misleading or incomplete in any material respect, the appropriate Minister shall be entitled to recover on demand from the recipient of the payment the whole or any part of the payment. Rate of interest 9 Except where the appropriate Minister recovers from any applicant a payment or part of a payment paid to that applicant as a result of an error of that Minister, he may charge interest on any payment recovered under regulation 8 at the rate of one percentage point above the sterling three months London Interbank Offered Rate on a day to day basis for the period from the date of payment to the date of reimbursement by the applicant. Offences and penalties 10 1 It shall be an offence for a person— a without reasonable excuse, to fail to comply with the provisions of regulation 5; b intentionally to obstruct an authorised person in the exercise of a power conferred by regulation 6; or c without reasonable excuse, to fail to comply with a request made under regulation 7. 2 It shall be an offence for a person knowingly or recklessly to furnish information which is false or misleading in a material particular— a in connection with any requirement imposed under regulation 6; or b for the purpose of obtaining for himself or another person the whole or part of any payment. 3 A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (1)(a) above shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale. 4 A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (1)(b) or (c) or (2) above shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale. Time limit for prosecutions 11 1 Proceedings for an offence under regulation 10 may, subject to paragraph (2) below, be commenced within the period of six months from the date on which evidence sufficient in the opinion of the prosecutor to warrant the proceedings came to his knowledge. 2 No such proceedings shall be commenced by virtue of this regulation more than four years after the commission of the offence. 3 For the purposes of this regulation— a a certificate signed by or on behalf of the prosecutor and stating the date on which evidence sufficient in his opinion to warrant the proceedings came to his knowledge shall be conclusive evidence of that fact; and b a certificate stating that matter and purporting to be so signed shall be deemed to be so signed unless the contrary is proved. 4 In relation to proceedings in Scotland, section 136(3) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (date of commencement of proceedings) shall apply for the purposes of this regulation as it applies for the purposes of that section. Offences by bodies corporate 12 1 Where a body corporate is guilty of an offence under these Regulations, and that offence is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of— a any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate; or b any person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, he, as well as the body corporate, shall be guilty of the offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished in accordance with regulation 10. 2 For the purposes of paragraph (1) above, “director”, in relation to a body corporate whose affairs are managed by its members, means a member of that body corporate. 3 Where an offence under these Regulations is committed in Scotland by a Scottish partnership and is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, a partner, he, as well as the partnership, shall be guilty of the offence and be liable to be proceeded against and punished in accordance with regulation 10. Elliot Morley Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 12th August 1997 Sewel Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office 13th August 1997