{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wild-game-meat-hygiene-and-inspection-regulations-northern-ireland-1997/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wild-game-meat-hygiene-and-inspection-regulations-northern-ireland-1997/note.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/1997/496",
  "legislation_title": "Wild Game Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wild-game-meat-hygiene-and-inspection-regulations-northern-ireland-1997",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Regulations)\nThese Regulations give effect, in part, to Council Directive 92/45/EEC (O.J. No. L.268, 14.9.92, p. 35) on public health and animal health problems relating to the killing of wild game and the placing on the market of wild game meat.\nThe Regulations require all wild game processing facilities which consign, or sell for consignment, wild game meat to another EEA State to be licensed by the Department. Such a licence will be issued if the premises comply with the prescribed requirements as to structure and hygiene or if a work plan aimed at achieving compliance with those requirements has been agreed between the occupier of the premises and the Department (regulation 3). Premises which are already licensed under either the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations(Northern Ireland) 1997 or the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 will not need to comply separately with the structural requirements contained in Schedule 1.\nA licence may be refused or granted subject to conditions (regulation 3) or revoked (regulation 4), with a right of appeal.\nThere will be veterinary supervision of all licensed premises. The Department will appoint designated Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs) and inspectors to supervise licensed premises (regulation 6). The Department may revoke or suspend the designation of an OVS who is deemed to be unfit to perform his duties (regulation 7).\nOVSs of the Department may prohibit the use of equipment or the use of part of the premises or reduce the rate of operations, and a person aggrieved by such a decision may appeal (regulation 8).\nThe Department may also authorise persons employed at the premises to act as PIAs and may also revoke and suspend such authorisations (regulation 9).\nThe health mark is to be applied to all wild game meat produced in licensed premises which is fit for human consumption. Only persons acting under the responsibility of the OVS may apply the health mark or possess or use the health mark equipment (regulation 10). Times of operation of licensed premises are controlled (regulation 11).\nSubject to certain exceptions, wild game meat may not be consigned or sold for consignment to a relevant EEA State for human consumption unless it has been obtained from licensed premises or from a cold store or re-wrapping centre and been health marked; has met certain conditions regarding killing; has met the hygiene requirements specified in the Schedules; and is accompanied during transportation from licensed premises or from a cold store or re-wrapping centre by a commercial document or health certificate (regulation 12).\nExcept in specific circumstances (where a health certificate is appropriate), the wild game meat is to be accompanied by a commercial document.\nThe Department must keep records in respect of inspections (regulation 14) and the occupier of the premises must also keep specified records (regulation 15).\nThe Regulations also—\n(a) specify the duties of occupiers (regulation 15);\n(b) create offences and prescribe penalties (regulation 16);\n(c) apply various provisions of the Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (regulation 17);\n(d) specify the enforcement authorities (regulation 18);\n(e) make provision for wild game meat imported from Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (regulation 19); and\n(f) amend specified Regulations (regulation 20).",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1997/496/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T02:26:16.047926+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}