Slaughter of Animals Act, 1935

JurisdictionIreland
CitationIR No. 45/1935
Year1935


Number 45 of 1935.


SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS ACT, 1935.


ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

PART I.

Preliminary and General.

Section

1.

Short title and commencement.

2.

Definitions.

3.

Area of application.

4.

Application to county health districts.

5.

Enforcement of Act by sanitary authorities.

6.

Duties of veterinary officers.

7.

Prosecution of offences.

8.

Expenses.

9.

Powers of Gárda Síochána and sanitary officers.

10.

Amendment of section 128 of the Towns Improvement Clauses Act, 1847.

11.

Public Inquiries.

PART II.

Treatment of Animals in Slaughter-Houses.

12 .

Supply of water and food to animals in slaughter-houses.

13.

Prohibition of slaughter in sight of another animal.

14.

Prohibition of slaughter causing excessive suffering.

15.

Compulsory use of approved instrument for slaughter of animals.

16.

Approved instruments for slaughter of animals.

17.

General defence of special circumstances.

18.

Persons liable in respect of offences.

PART III.

Slaughter Licences.

19 .

Prohibition of slaughtering without licence.

20.

Application for slaughter licences.

21.

Issue of slaughter licences.

22.

Commencement and duration of slaughter licences.

23.

Renewal of slaughter licences.

24.

Fees on issue of slaughter licences.

25.

Issue of duplicate slaughter licences.

26.

Revocation of slaughter licences by sanitary authority.

27.

Appeal against refusal or revocation of slaughter licence.

28.

Revocation of slaughter licences by the Court.

29.

Surrender of slaughter licence on revocation.

30.

Offences in relation to slaughter licences.

31.

Regulations.


Act Referred to

Local Government Act, 1925

No. 5 of 1925


Number 45 of 1935.


SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS ACT, 1935.


AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR SECURING THE MORE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS IN SLAUGHTER-HOUSES AND TO MAKE FURTHER AND BETTER PROVISION IN RELATION GENERALLY TO THE SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS. [12th December, 1935.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS OF SAORSTÁT EIREANN AS FOLLOWS:—

PART I.

Preliminary and General.

Short title and commencement.

1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Slaughter of Animals Act, 1935.

(2) This Act shall come into operation on such day or days as the Minister shall by order fix in that behalf, and the Minister may so fix different days for the coming into operation of this Act in the county borough of Dublin and the borough of Dún Laoghaire and in the remainder of Saorstát Eireann respectively.

Definitions.

2.—(1) In this Act—

the expression “the Minister” means the Minister for Local Government and Public Health;

the word “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Minister under this Act;

the expression “sanitary authority” means the sanitary authority under the Public Health Acts, 1878 to 1931, for the area in respect of which the expression is used;

the expression “board of health” includes both a board of public health and a board of health and public assistance;

the word “animal” includes only cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, asses and mules.

(2) All buildings and other places used for the slaughter of animals either for sale or for conversion into products for sale (including buildings and other places commonly called “slaughter-houses” or “knackers' yards”) and no other places shall be slaughter-houses for the purposes and within the meaning of this Act and, subject to the provisions of the next following sub-section of this section, the word “slaughter-house” shall be construed accordingly in this Act.

(3) A building or other place situate on a farm shall not be a slaughter-house for the purposes or within the meaning of this Act merely by reason of the fact that such place is used for the occasional slaughter of animals kept on such farm, provided such slaughter is incidental to the proper management and working of such farm and the slaughter of animals is not the principal or only occupation of the occupier of such farm.

Area of application.

3.—This Act shall apply to and have effect in every county borough, borough, and urban district, and also to and in every, if any, county health district or particular portion of a county health district to which an order made by the Minister under this Part of this Act conferring on a board of health the power of regulating the slaughter of animals for the time being applies.

Application to county health districts.

4.—(1) The Minister may, if and whenever he thinks proper, by order confer on the board of health of a specified county health district power to regulate the slaughter of animals in such county health district or in a specified portion thereof.

(2) Whenever an order made by the Minister under the foregoing sub-section of this section is in force, the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:—

(a) sections 125 to 131 of the Towns Improvement Clauses Act, 1847, shall apply and have effect in relation to the county health district or the specified portion of a county health district (as the case may be) to which the said order under this section applies, but with the following modifications, that is to say:—

(i) references in the said sections to commissioners shall be construed and have effect as references to the board of health of such county health district, and

(ii) references in the said sections to the limits of the special Act shall be construed and have effect as references to the said county health district or specified portion of a county health district (as the case may be), and

(iii) references in the said sections to the time of the passing of the special Act, shall, in the application of those sections to a town having commissioners under the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act, 1854 , be construed and have effect as references to the date on which the said Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act, 1854 , was adopted in such town, and shall, in the application of the said sections to an area in which there is in force an order under section 1 of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1896 , investing the rural sanitary authority in such area with the powers given to an urban sanitary authority by section 105 of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878 , for the purposes of regulating slaughter-houses within their district, be construed and have effect as references to the date on which the said order under the said section 1 came into force in the said area, and shall, in every other case be construed and have effect as references to the date of the said order under this section;

(b) sections 29 , 30 , and 31 of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, 1890 , shall, as from the date of the said order under this section, apply and have effect in relation to the county health district or the specified portion of a county health district (as the case may be) to which such order relates as if such county health district or portion of a county health district were an urban sanitary district and the board of health of such county health district were the urban authority for such urban sanitary district;

(c) the board of health of the county health district to which or to portion of which the said order under this section applies shall, in addition and without prejudice to the power to make bye-laws conferred by the said sections 125 to 131 of the Towns Improvement Clauses Act, 1847, have power to make bye-laws in respect of the whole or any portion of the said area to which the said order under this section applies for securing the decent and seemly conveyance of meat through public thorough-fares, for the inspection of meat to be sold for human consumption, and for prohibiting the sale for human consumption of meat which has not been inspected in accordance with such bye-laws;

(d) sections 219 to 223 of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878 , shall apply to every bye-law made by a board of health under this sub-section in like manner as they apply to bye-laws made under that Act;

(e) immediately upon the coming into operation of the said order under this section, the powers under the said sections 125 to 131 of the Towns Improvement Clauses Act, 1847, (as incorporated or applied by the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act, 1854 ) then vested in the commissioners under the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act, 1854 , of any town (having such commissioners) situate in the county health district or the specified portion of a county health district (as the case may be) to which the said order under this section applies shall terminate and cease to be exercisable by such commissioners;

(f) immediately upon the coming into operation of the said order under this section, any powers in relation to slaughter-houses then vested, by virtue of an order under section 1 of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1896 , in the board of health of the county health district to which or to a specified portion of which the said order under this section applies shall terminate and cease to be exercisable in respect of slaughter-houses within the area to which the said order under this section applies.

(3) The Minister may at any time by order amend any order previously made by him under this section, including an order made under this sub-section.

Enforcement of Act by sanitary authorities.

5.—(1) It shall be the duty of every sanitary authority of an area in which this Act has effect to exercise the powers vested in them by this Act and to carry out and enforce the provisions of this Act in such area.

(2) Whenever a sanitary authority fails or neglects to perform the duty or any portion of the duty imposed upon such authority by this...

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