Slaughterhouses Act 1974
| Year | 1974 |
Slaughterhouses Act 1974
1974 CHAPTER 3
An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to slaughterhouses and knackers' yards and the slaughter of animals.
[8th February 1974]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Part I
Slaughterhouses and Knackers' Yards
Licensing of private slaughterhouses and knackers' yards
1 Slaughterhouses and knackers' yards to be licensed.
(1) It shall be an offence—
(a ) for the occupier of any premises to use them as a slaughterhouse or knacker's yard, or to permit them to be so used, unless he holds a licence under this section authorising him to keep those premises as a slaughterhouse or, as the case may be, a knacker's yard, or
(b ) for any person other than the occupier to use any premises as a slaughterhouse or knacker's yard, unless the occupier holds such a licence in respect of those premises.
(2) Licences under this section (in this Part of this Act referred to as ‘licences’) shall be granted by the local authority, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of this Part.
(3) Where any premises used or to be used for the confinement of animals awaiting slaughter in a slaughterhouse or knacker's yard are situated outside the curtilage of the premises used or to be used for the slaughter, separate licences may be granted authorising the use of those premises for the purposes of the confinement and the slaughter respectively.
(4) In relation to the use of any premises for or in connection with the slaughter of horses, a licence shall be of no effect unless it expressly authorises the use of the premises for that purpose.
2 Slaughterhouse licences and applications for such licences.
(1) Where a local authority receive from the occupier of, or a person proposing to occupy, any premises an application for the grant or renewal of a licence authorising him to occupy those premises as a slaughterhouse, then, subject to the following provisions of this section and to sections 3 and 6 below, the authority—
(a ) shall grant or, as the case may be, renew the licence in accordance with the application if they are satisfied that the requirements mentioned in subsection (2) below are, or within a reasonable time will be, complied with in respect of the premises; and
(b ) shall refuse to grant or, as the case may be, renew the licence if they are not so satisfied.
(2) The requirements referred to in subsection (1)(a ) above are the requirements relating to slaughterhouses—
(a ) of regulations under section 13 of the Food and Drugs Act 1955 ;
(b ) of byelaws, if any, made by the authority under section 12 below; and
(c ) of construction regulations under section 38 below.
(3) The reference in subsection (2)(c ) above to the requirements of construction regulations under section 38 below shall, in relation to an application which does not state expressly that it is for a slaughterhouse licence containing an authorisation in respect of horses under section 1(4) above, be construed as excluding such of those requirements as relate only to horses; but any licence granted or renewed in pursuance of such an application shall not contain such an authorisation.
(4) A local authority shall not grant or renew a slaughterhouse licence until an officer of the authority has inspected the premises named in the application and has made a report on those premises.
(5) A local authority may require a person who applies for the grant or renewal of a slaughterhouse licence to give to them, before his application is considered, information as to any other licence in respect of a slaughterhouse or knacker's yard which he holds or has held, either in their district or in the district of another local authority; and if an applicant who is so required gives the authority any information which is false in a material respect, he shall be guilty of an offence.
(6) The Minister may by regulations—
(a ) require slaughterhouse licences and applications for the grant or renewal of such licences to be in such form and to contain such particulars of all premises to which the licence or application relates as may be prescribed by the regulations;
(b ) require local authorities to keep such records of all slaughterhouse licences granted by them, including the particulars mentioned in paragraph (a ) above, and to furnish the Minister with such information in connection with the grant of slaughterhouse licences as may be so prescribed;
and each local authority shall make any such records or copies thereof available during reasonable hours at some convenient place or places in their district for inspection by any person without charge.
(7) Regulations under subsection (6) above shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
3 Certain applications for slaughterhouse licence to be refused forthwith.
(1) Where—
(a ) a local authority receive an application for the grant or renewal of a slaughterhouse licence in respect of any premises, being an application to which this section applies, and
(b ) it appears to the authority that the proposed slaughterhall forms part of a building another part of which, being a part within the curtilage of those premises, is, or is proposed to be, used or adapted for use as a dwelling,
then, subject to section 6 below, the authority shall refuse the application forthwith unless they are satisfied that, if the licence is granted or renewed, no part of that building within the curtilage of those premises will be used as a dwelling at any time while the licence is in force.
(2) This section applies to any application—
(a ) for the grant of a new slaughterhouse licence; or
(b ) for the grant or renewal of a slaughterhouse licence in respect of premises—
(i) in respect of which a new slaughterhouse licence has been granted since 1st August 1958; or
(ii) in the case of which a holder of a slaughterhouse licence in respect of those premises has been convicted of an offence under section 11(1) below.
(3) In subsection (2) above ‘new’, in relation to a slaughterhouse licence, means in respect of premises in respect of which such a licence was not in force at, or at any time less than 12 months before, the date when the application for the licence was made.
4 Knacker's yard licences and applications for such licences.
(1) Where a local authority receive from the occupier of, or a person proposing to occupy, any premises an application for the grant or renewal of a licence authorising him to occupy those premises as a knacker's yard, then, subject to subsections (3) and (4) below, the authority may grant or, as the case may be, renew the licence.
(2) Without prejudice to subsection (1) above and subject to section 6 below, a local authority may refuse to grant or, as the case may be, renew a knacker's yard licence in respect of any premises if they are not satisfied that the requirements relating to knackers' yards—
(a ) of regulations under section 13 of the Food and Drugs Act 1955 , or
(b ) of byelaws, if any, made by the authority under section 12 below,
are complied with in respect of those premises, or will be complied with before the date on which the licence or renewed licence comes into force.
(3) Subject to section 6 below, a local authority shall refuse to grant or, as the case may be, renew a knacker's yard licence in respect of any premises unless they are satisfied that the requirements relating to knackers' yards of construction regulations under section 38 below are complied with in respect of those premises, or will be complied with before the date on which the licence or renewed licence comes into force.
(4) A local authority shall not grant or renew a knacker's yard licence until an officer of the authority has inspected the premises named in the application and has made a report on those premises.
(5) A local authority may require a person who applies for the grant or renewal of a knacker's yard licence to give to them, before his application is considered, information as to any other licence in respect of a slaughterhouse or knacker's yard which he holds or has held, either in their district or in the district of another local authority; and if an applicant who is so required gives the authority any information which is false in a material respect, he shall be guilty of an offence.
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