No. 27/1947:

CLEAN WOOL ACT, 1947

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1 Definitions generally.

2 Authorised officer.

3 Prohibited substance.

4 Separation of wool on which prohibited substance is present.

5 Prohibition of dealings in wool on which prohibited substance is present.

6 Prohibition of use of substance in branding sheep.

7 Prohibition of manufacture of certain sheep dip.

8 Prohibition of dealings in certain sheep dip.

9 Powers of authorised officers.

10 General penalty.

11 Prosecution of offences.

12 Laying of orders before Oireachtas.

13 Expenses.

14 Short title and commencement.

AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR IMPROVING THE CLEANLINESS OF RAW WOOL.

[13th August, 1947.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:—

1.—(1) In this Act—

the expression "the Minister" means the Minister for Agriculture

the word "sheep" includes lambs;

the expression "sheep dip" means a substance or preparation which is a remedy for or preventative of sheep scab or any other external parasitic disease of sheep and is used for the dipping of sheep;

the expression "the Sheep Dipping Order" means the Sheep Dipping Order, 1937 (S. R. & O., No. 169 of 1937);

the word "wool" means raw wool (including raw skin-wool).

(2) Any reference in this Act to purchasing shall be construed as including a reference to offering to purchase or inviting an offer to sell.

(3) Any reference in this Act to selling shall be construed as including a reference to offering to sell or inviting an offer to purchase.

2.—(1) Each of the following persons shall be an authorised officer for the purposes of this Act.

( a ) an officer of the Minister, of the council of a county or of the corporation of a county borough appointed by the Minister to be an authorised officer for the purposes of this Act,

( b ) a member of the Gárda Síochána.

(2) An authorised officer who was appointed by the Minister shall be furnished by the Minister with a certificate of his appointment as an authorised officer and when exercising any power conferred on him by this Act shall, if requested by any person affected, produce the certificate to such person.

(3) A member of the Gárda Síochána shall not exercise any power conferred on him by this Act save when he is in uniform.

3.—(1) In this Act the expression "prohibited substance" means a substance which—

( a ) is, or contains, tar, pitch or paint incapable of being removed by scouring, or

( b ) is, or contains, a substance to which this section applies, or

( c ) is, daggings.

(2) Where the Minister is of opinion that any substance is unsuitable for use in the branding of sheep, he may by order provide that such substance shall be a substance to which this section applies.

(3) The Minister may by order revoke or amend any order under this section, including an order under this subsection.

4.—(1) A person who shears sheep shall, before or during the act of shearing, separate from the fleece all wool on which a prohibited substance is present.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

5.—(1) No person shall—

( a ) purchase or otherwise acquire, or

( b ) sell or otherwise dispose of,

any wool on which a prohibited substance is present.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section

6.—(1) The Minister may by order prohibit the use of any specified substance in branding sheep generally or in branding sheep of a specified breed.

(2) The Minister may by order revoke or amend any order under this section, including an order under this subsection.

(3) A person who contravenes an order under this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

7.—(1) No person shall manufacture any sheep dip, whether it is or is not approved sheep dip within the meaning of the Sheep Dipping Order, which contains colouring matter (not being an ingredient essential for remedying or preventing sheep scab or any other external parasitic disease of sheep) and which, when applied in any manner to sheep, imparts a stain or colour to the wool.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

8.—(1) No person shall—

( a ) purchase or otherwise acquire, or

( b ) sell or otherwise dispose of, any sheep dip of the kind specified in section 7 of this Act.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not affect the operation of Article 6 of the Sheep Dipping Order.

(3) A person who contravenes subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

9.—(1) An authorised officer shall be entitled at all reasonable times to enter any premises in which he has reasonable grounds for believing that wool is kept for sale or other disposal and may inspect such premises and examine and take samples of any wool which he finds therein.

(2) An authorised officer may at all reasonable times enter any lands on which sheep are kept and may examine any sheep which he finds on the lands.

(3) A person who obstructs or impedes an authorised officer in the exercise of any of the powers conferred by this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

10.—A person who is guilty of an offence under any section of this Act shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.

11.—An offence under any section of this Act may be prosecuted by the Minister

12.—An order under this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the order is passed by either such House within the next twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the order is laid before it, the order shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

13.—The expenses incurred by the Minister in the administration of this Act shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.

14.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Clean Wool Act, 1947 .

(2) This Act shall come into operation on such day as the Minister shall by order appoint.