Next, the TSE (Scotland) Regulations 2006 limit their application to that of the EC Regulation 999/2001, thus we only need consider whether the later applies (since if it does then they both do). Now, the application of this is spelt out very clearly (much more clearly than the other Regulations, in fact). It says that it “shall apply to the production and placing on the market of live animals and products of animal origin”, then lists a number of exceptions. But it is silent as to whether it applies to the production of animals not destined for ‘placing on the market’. It even allows for rearing of animals in each category on the same premises, providing they remain separated. Now, whether it was intended to apply to animals reared at home for home consumption is not clear: I suspect a visit to some of the newest EC members (Poland, anyone?) who have an extant culture of home rearing would help clarify the issue.

The general thread I get from reading all of the bits of law I have seen so far is that the law makers only intended these laws to apply to commercial operations - they did not intend to constrain the production of meat for home consumption providing no money changes hands.

So, much of this seems to boil down to whether you sell animals intended for human consumption. Since you do in the form of live animals I’m inclined to agree with you that much of the red tape does apply, but, in my view, these laws appear not to apply if you separate out the animals you intend to slaughter and eat at home, and even that restriction is only to avoid the TSE law. I accept that this is easy for me to assert, perhaps harder to defend!

It’s worth noting that the various government agencies set up to police these laws are the very worst place to go for guidance - they naturally prefer to limit their monitoring to large commercial operations so will advise anyone from doing anything that they might have to monitor. Hence the general confusion and contradictions you encounter and recount here from time to time after you’ve had cause to deal with them. But their guidance is not the law.

I’m genuinely interested to discover if the Executive really do intend to outlaw the home rearing and consumption of animals, or whether that is just an unintended effect of the overzealous application of laws on the part of government agencies.

All the best,
alf

Interestingly, the statute I did find specifically prohibits anyone from entering “premises used wholly or mainly as a dwelling, where he reasonably suspects that any activity which is governed by these Regulations is, or has been, carried on, for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is or has been any contravention of these Regulations” (Clause 23). I’m sure you can see the implications of this.

I’ll see if I can fathom those other statutes, now…

All the best,
alf

Mathers do sheep and cattle, but prefer to deal with the trade, didn’t want to do “just two lambs” last time I called and only wanted farm assured sheep.

Deborah, it’s funny how often we’re told we have to accept curbs on our freedoms in order to protect those freedoms.

When Gordon Brown was challenged today about Britain’s surveillance society, including the fingerprinting of children by schools and the retention of more than a million innocent people on the DNA database, he replied: “We are taking the steps to protect the liberties of citizens.”

It’s the same with food laws. By all means ban home-slaughtered meat and home-produced food products from going into the wider food chain unless they meet certain standards, by why ban families from slaughtering and eating their own produce, or offering it to guests provided the guests know it’s home produced?

The real aim of much of this is control by the ever-extending octopus of bureaucracy. “They” know what is best for “us” and “they” will protect us, including from ourselves.

Bah!

We used to have a Lib-Dem MSP who, if you contacted her on a Sunday with a genuine emergency, would be on the phone to you personally within two or three hours. She replied to all our communications herself, including by email, and actually got action taken on several issues.

While not Lib-Dem supporters, we voted for her at the last election as she was a genuine constituency MSP. Unfortunately, a lot of other people thought the area would have a higher profile and do better with the leader of SNP based here. Ho-hum.

As for the regulatory burden, I know about these regulations thanks to Trading Standards and Animal Welfare Officers, who mentioned them in passing while talking about other regulations.

But there are hundreds of people who keep livestock on a small scale who either don’t know of the regulations or don’t realise their full extent. You only have to visit the smallholding and crofting forums to see the full extent of the lack of knowledge.

And these are just three of the regulations that apply to us. I know another 20-30 fairly well and know of another score or so in passing, but I’m very sure there are hundreds that apply. I’m also fairly sure that we’re almost certainly in breach of some, if not many, of those regulations.

The law says ignorance is no excuse, but frankly no one but a specialist lawyer has a chance in hell of knowing all the regulations that apply. And as for meeting them, what do you do when regulations are mutually contradictory? Or totally absurd?

To give some idea of the burden, I recently found a 2005 listing of all the food regulations in the UK. There are scores and scores of them. Unfortunately, no one has done a similar list covering farming — as we come under food, environment, agriculture, animal welfare, health and safety, etc etc.