Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Regulations.)
These Regulations, made under Article 5 of the Artificial Reproduction of Animals Order (Northern Ireland) 1975 (“the 1975 Order”), revoke and replace the Artificial Insemination (Cattle) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1976 as amended by the Artificial Insemination (Cattle) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1981. They provide for a new system of control of the practice of the artificial insemination of cattle and the provision of a commercial artificial insemination service following the disengagement by the Department of Agriculture from the provision of the Artificial Insemination Service to farmers in Northern Ireland.
The Regulations prohibit the artificial insemination of cattle except by—
licensed technicians employed by a commercial artificial insemination service licensed by the Department of Agriculture; or
an individual who is the holder of a farm inseminator licence granted by the Department entitling him to inseminate cows only in a particular herd specified in his licence (Regulations 3 and 4).
The Regulations also prohibit the storage of semen except in certain licensed premises. Licences are also required for the distribution of semen from those premises (Regulations 5 and 8).
Semen may only be used in artificial insemination where it has been obtained from licensed premises and distributed in accordance with the Regulations. Furthermore, only processed semen may be used except in the case of artificial insemination with semen from a bull in the same herd as the cows that are inseminated (Regulations 9 and 16(1) and (2)).
Processed semen may be imported in accordance with the conditions of a licence granted under the 1975 Order or produced in Northern Ireland in licensed processing centres and processed and quarantined in accordance with these Regulations (Regulations 6 and 7).
The Regulations also make provision for the approval by the Department of bulls whose semen may be used in artificial insemination, and for the suspension and revocation of those approvals (Regulations 10 to 15).
The Regulations do not apply to anything done for the purposes of education or research provided that semen is not used at any time in the artificial insemination of a cow (Regulation 16(3)).
The Regulations temporarily continue in force certain licences issued under the 1976 Regulations (Regulation 17).
Any person who fails to comply with any condition subject to which a licence under these Regulations is granted, who contravenes any provision of these Regulations or knowingly or recklessly makes a statement false in a material particular for the purposes of obtaining a licence under these Regulations shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £2,000.