PART I.

Preliminary and General.

1.— This Act may be cited as the Slaughter of Cattle and Sheep Act, 1934.

2.— (1) This Act shall come into operation on such day or days as shall be fixed therefore by an Order made by the Minister, either generally or with reference to any particular Part or provision, and different days may be so fixed for different Parts and different provisions of this Act.

(2) This Act shall remain in force until the 31st day of December, 1936, and shall then expire.

3.— In this Act—

the expression “the Minister” means the Minister for Agriculture;

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

the word “inspector” means a person appointed in writing (either generally or for a particular purpose) by the Minister to be an inspector for the purposes of this Act;

the word “cattle” includes bulls, cows, bullocks, heifers, and calves;

the word “sheep” includes rams, ewes, wethers, and lambs;

the word “meat” means meat derived from cattle or from sheep and includes all edible parts of the carcases of cattle and sheep;

the expression “registered premises” means premises registered in a register kept by the Minister in pursuance of this Act;

the expression “registered slaughtering premises” means premises registered in the register of slaughtering premises;

the expression “registered victualling premises” means premises registered in the register of victualling premises;

the expression “registered proprietor” means a person who is entered in a register kept by the Minister in pursuance of this Act as the proprietor of premises registered in that register;

the expression “marketable product” includes meat preserved and sold in a barrel, tin, jar, or other container, but does not include fresh meat or meat preserved and sold otherwise than in a container;

references to the business of slaughtering animals of a particular kind or of particular kinds shall be construed as including the slaughter of animals of such particular kind or kinds by a person for use in or for the purposes of a business carried on by such person.

4.— (1) The Minister may by order make regulations prescribing any matter or thing which is referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed, but no such regulation shall be made in relation to the amount or collection of fees or levies without the consent of the Minister for Finance.

(2) Every regulation made by the Minister under this or any other section of this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made, and if a resolution is passed by either such House within the next subsequent twenty-one days on which that House has sat annulling such regulation, such regulation shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under such regulation.

5.— Every inspector shall be provided with a certificate in the prescribed form of his appointment as such inspector and, when exercising any of the powers conferred on him by or under this Act, shall, if so required, produce such certificate to any person affected.

6.— All expenses incurred by the Minister in carrying this Act into execution shall, to such extent as shall be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.

7.— (1) All fees payable under this Act shall be collected and taken in such manner as the Minister for Finance shall from time to time direct and shall be paid into or disposed of for the benefit of the Exchequer in accordance with the directions of the said Minister.

(2) The Public Offices Fees Act, 1879, shall not apply in respect of any fees payable under this Act.

8.— (1) Every offence under any section of this Act may be prosecuted by or at the suit of the Minister.

(2) Where an offence under any section of this Act was committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been so committed with the consent or approval of, or to have been facilitated by any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of such body corporate, such director, manager, secretary, or other officer shall be deemed to be guilty of such offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.