{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wildlife-and-countryside-act-1981/section-26A",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wildlife-and-countryside-act-1981/section-26A.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1981/69",
  "legislation_title": "Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/wildlife-and-countryside-act-1981",
  "path": "section/26A",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "26A",
  "heading": "Enforcement of wildlife legislation",
  "text": "Regulations under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 (c. 68) for the purpose of implementing Council Directive 92/43/ EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (that is, the Directive as amended from time to time by any other EU instrument or otherwise) may, despite paragraph 1(1)(d) of Schedule 2 to that Act, create offences punishable on summary conviction with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.",
  "extent": "S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 26A inserted (S.) (1.10.2004) by Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 (asp 6), ss. 50, 59, Sch. 6 para. 22; S.S.I. 2004/407, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 26A substituted (23.4.2007) by Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 6), ss. 44(2), 84; S.S.I. 2007/250, art. 3 (subject to art. 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in Act substituted (22.4.2011) by The Treaty of Lisbon (Changes in Terminology) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1043), arts. 2, 3, 6 (with arts. 3(2)(3), 4(2), 6(4)(5))"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69/section/26A",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:30:49.503545+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."
}