Explanatory note

Northern Ireland

(This note is not part of the Order.)

This Order revokes and re-enacts with amendments the Movement of Animals (Records) Order (Northern Ireland) 1980 (“the 1980 Order”) so as to implement the record keeping requirements in respect of bovine animals, sheep and goats of Council Directive 92/102/EEC on the identification and registration of animals (O.J. No. L355, 5.12.92, p. 32).

The main changes to the 1980 Order are as follows:

(a)

Article 2 includes a definition of identification mark;

(b)

Article 3 requires—

(i)

the owner or person in charge of bovine animals to keep a record of the details of each bovine animal as specified in Schedule 1; and

(ii)

a market operator to keep records and to record, in the case of a bovine animal, the identification mark and furnish those records to the Department within 72 hours of the sale;

(c)

Article 4 requires records kept in respect of goats, sheep and swine to be made within 48 hours of any transaction, birth or death of such animals and to be kept as specified in Schedules 2 and 3. In addition a market operator must record in the case of goats, sheep and swine the identification mark, sex, breed and description of such animals;

(d)

Articles 5 and 6 provide certain exemptions from the record keeping requirements of the Order;

(e)

Article 7 requires records in respect of goats, sheep and swine to be kept for 3 years;

(f)

Article 8 contains transitional and saving provisions in relation to records;

(g)

Article 9 revokes the Movement of Animals (Records) Order (Northern Ireland) 1980, the Movement of Animals (Records) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 1982 and the Movement of Animals (Records) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 1991.