Regulation 22 Enforcement powers
An authorised officer of the Minister or of a local authority shall, on producing, if required to do so, some duly authenticated document showing his authority, have the right at all reasonable hours to enter any business premises for the purposes of ascertaining whether there is or has been on the premises any breach of animal or public health conditions relating to the importation of products of animal origin, or whether there are any products on the premises in respect of which an offence may have been committed under these Regulations; and in this regulation “premises” includes any place, installation, vehicle, ship, vessel, boat, craft, hovercraft or aircraft.
In enforcing these Regulations, an authorised officer of the Minister or of a local authority shall have the right to—
carry out inspections of premises, installations, means of transport, plant and equipment used for or relating to products of animal origin, cleaning and maintenance products, procedures used for the production and processing of products of animal origin and the marking and labelling and presentation of those products;
carry out checks on whether staff comply with the requirements of regulations relating to animal and public health;
take samples to establish whether or not these Regulations are being complied with, and detain products of animal origin pending the analysis of those samples by notice served on the person in charge of the products;
examine documentary or computer material relevant to their powers;
take with him a representative of the European Commission who is acting as an inspector for the purposes of Council Directives 89/662/EEC or 90/675/EEC.
If a justice of the peace, or in Scotland the sheriff, on sworn information in writing,is satisfied that there is reasonable ground for entry into any premises for any of the purposes of this regulation and either—
that admission to the premises has been refused, or a refusal is apprehended, and that notice of the intention to apply has been given to the occupier; or
that an application for admission, or the giving of such a notice, would defeat the object of the entry, or that the case is one of urgency, or that the premises are unoccupied or the occupier temporarily absent,
the justice or sheriff may by warrant signed by him, and valid for one month, authorise the authorised officer to enter the premises, if need be by reasonable force.