These Regulations may be cited as the Charges for Inspections and Controls (Amendment) Regulations 2004 and come into force on 26th July 2004.

The Charges for Inspections and Controls Regulations 1997 are amended by the substitution of the following table for the table in the Schedule:

Ben Bradshaw

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

5th July 2004

These Regulations amend the Charges for Inspections and Controls Regulations 1997 which, as amended, continue to give effect to Article 2 of Council Directive 85/73/EEC on the financing of veterinary inspections and controls covered by Directives 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 90/675/EEC and 91/496/EEC (OJ No L32, 5.2.85, p 14); that Directive was last amended by Council Directive 97/79/EC (OJ No L24, 30.1.98, p 31). Article 2, as read with Article 5, requires member States to ensure that fees are collected to cover costs occasioned by inspections and controls provided for by Council Directive 96/23/EC on measures to monitor certain substances and residues thereof in live animals and animal products and repealing Directives 85/358/EEC and 86/469/EEC and Decisions 89/187/EEC and 91/664/EEC (OJ No L125, 23.5.96, p 10).

Regulation 2 provides for changes of fees listed in the table by percentages ranging approximately from a reduction of 21% to an increase of 45%. The inspections and controls to which the fees apply relate to checks for residues of veterinary medicines and other substances in food. The changes are itemised in the table below - other sums are the same as before:

A full regulatory impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business is available from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3LS and copies have been placed in the Library of each House of Parliament.