Agriculture Act 1967
| Year | 1967 |
Agriculture Act 1967
1967 CHAPTER 22
An Act to establish a Meat and Livestock Commission and make other provision for the livestock and livestock products industries, to amend the Agriculture (Calf Subsidies) Act 1952 and make new provision with respect to the supervision and enforcement of schemes under that Act, to authorise the payment of subsidies in respect of cows maintained for the purpose of breeding calves for beef, to authorise grants for improvements of agricultural land and in respect of expenditure on equipment, plant and machinery for use in agriculture, and on certain vehicles, and supplementary grants in respect of certain expenditure, and to make provision with respect to the shape and size of farms and related matters, agriculture and forestry on hill land, co-operative activities in agriculture, diseases of animals and other matters connected with agriculture.
[10th May 1967]
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
Livestock and Meat Marketing
The Meat and Livestock Commission
1 The Meat and Livestock Commission.
(1) There shall be established a body to be called the Meat and Livestock Commission (in this Part of this Act referred to as ‘the Commission’) having the general duty of promoting greater efficiency in the livestock industry and the livestock products industry, and the particular functions specified in Part I of Schedule 1 to this Act, as well as the other functions conferred by this Part of this Act.
(2) In carrying out their functions the Commission shall have regard to the interests of consumers as well as to the interests of the various sections of the livestock industry and the livestock products industry.
(3) The Commission shall consist of not more than ten members appointed by the Ministers, and the Ministers shall appoint persons who in the Ministers' opinion are qualified to serve on the Commission by reason of their financial, commercial, technical, scientific, administrative or other relevant experience. and have no such financial or commercial interest as would be likely to prejudice the proper discharge of their functions as members.
(4) The Commission shall have a chairman and deputy chairman appointed by the Ministers from among the members of the Commission.
(5) The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food shall—
(a ) pay to the members of the Commission out of money provided by Parliament such remuneration and such travelling or other allowances as the Ministers, with the approval of the Treasury, may determine, and
(b ) in the case of any member of the Commission to whom the Ministers, with the approval of the Treasury, determine that this paragraph applies, pay out of money provided by Parliament such pension, or make such payments out of money provided by Parliament toward the provision of a pension, to or in respect of him as the Ministers and the Treasury may determine in his case,
and if a person ceases to be a member of the Commission and it appears to the Ministers that there are special circumstances which make it right that that person should receive compensation, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food may, with the approval of the Treasury, pay to that person out of money provided by Parliament a sum of such amount as the Ministers may with the approval of the Treasury determine.
(6) Nothing in this Part of this Act shall be construed as authorising the Commission to engage in the business of buying and selling livestock or livestock products, except so far as is reasonably necessary for, and incidental to, the discharge of other functions of the Commission.
(7) Part II of Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect with respect to the Commission.
2 The Commission's committees.
(1) The Ministers shall appoint three committees to be called—
(a ) the Production Committee,
(b ) the Distribution Committee, and
(c ) the Consumers Committee.
(2) If it appears to the Commission that any matter arising or likely to arise out of the exercise of the Commission's functions has or is likely to have a substantial effect on the interests of persons engaged in the production of livestock, the Commission shall, subject to the following provisions of this section, consult the Production Committee.
(3) If it appears to the Commission that any such matter has or is likely to have a substantial effect on the interests of persons engaged in the marketing or distribution of livestock or livestock products, the Commission shall, subject to the following provisions of this section, consult the Distribution Committee.
(4) If it appears to the Commission that any such matter has or is likely to have a substantial effect on the interests of consumers, the Commission shall consult the Consumers Committee.
(5) Any of the three Committees mentioned in subsection (1) above may at any time submit proposals for the consideration of the Commission as to the manner in which any of the Commission's functions which are of concern to the Committee should be exercised, or make representations to the Commission on any matter which in their opinion has or is likely to have a substantial effect on the interests with which the Committee are concerned.
(6) The Commission shall have power to employ in an executive as well as in an advisory capacity any of the said three committees.
(7) The foregoing provisions of this section shall not be taken as preventing the Commission from setting up any other committees, including, subject to Part III of Schedule 1 to this Act, committees (in this Part of this Act referred to as ‘joint committees’) whose members include one or more members both of the Production Committee and of the Distribution Committee; and the Commission may employ any of their committees in an executive as well as in an advisory capacity.
(8) If the matter on which consultation is required under-subsection (2) or subsection (3) of this section is one with which a joint committee is concerned, the Commission may consult that joint committee instead of the Production Committee or, as the case may be, the Distribution Committee.
(9) When giving advice to the Commission, any of the said three committees or any other of the Commission's committees shall, where any of their members desires to give advice differing to any considerable extent from the advice of the majority, inform the Commission of that fact, giving particulars of that differing advice.
(10) Part III of Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect as respects the Commission's committees.
3 Commission's duties in connection with fatstock guaranteed prices and calf subsidies.
(1) It shall be the duty of the Commission to carry out such functions as the Ministers may confer on the Commission in connection with—
(a ) any arrangements in force by virtue of an order under section 1 or section 5 of the Agriculture Act 1957 for providing guaranteed prices for fatstock, or
(b ) any scheme or order under the Agriculture (Calf Subsidies) Act 1952 as extended by this Act,
but not including any functions conferred on the Ministers or either of them by or under an Act of Parliament other than functions which the Ministers may delegate under section 9(4) of the Agriculture Act 1957 or any other enactment.
(2) So far as relates to livestock or livestock products, in section 5(1)(d ) of the Agriculture Act 1957 (power of entry in connection with guaranteed prices), and in any order made under that paragraph before the coming into force of this section, references to authorised officers of the Minister shall include references to authorised officers of the Commission where accompanying an authorised officer of the Minister.
(3) Any relevant information obtained by either of the Ministers in the discharge of their functions in connection with—
(a ) any arrangements in force by virtue of an order under section 1 or section 5 of the Agriculture Act 1957 for providing guaranteed prices for fatstock, or
(b ) any scheme or order under the Agriculture (Calf Subsidies) Act 1952 as extended by this Act,
may, for the purpose of assisting the Commission in the performance of their functions under this section, be disclosed to the Commission; and any such disclosure shall not be treated as a breach of contract, trust or confidence.
4 Commission's functions in connection with Markets and Fairs \(Weighing of Cattle) Acts.
(1) The Ministers, or either of them, may from time to time delegate to the Commission any powers exercisable by the delegating Ministers or Minister to make orders under—
(a ) section 9 of the Markets and Fairs...
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