Government Response – The Sheep Carcass (Classification and Price Reporting) (Wales) Regulations 2025

Technical Scrutiny point 1: The Welsh Government agree there is an inconsistency in the meaning of the English and Welsh texts. The correct term which should have been used in regulation 2 for “Annex” is “Atodiad”, in line with TermCymru. The correction identified in the table within this response will be made prior to the making of the Regulations.

Merit Scrutiny point 1: The Welsh Government is alert to the difference between the coming into force dates of the England Regulations and these Welsh Regulations. Whilst drafting the Sheep Carcass Regulations, the Welsh Government was made aware of an unintended discrepancy in the England equivalent Regulations. The Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025 were made on 9 July 2025. Regulation 4(1) of those Regulations provides that “Any person who is an operator of a regulated slaughterhouse on 28th January 2026 must, before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with that date, give notice to the Secretary of State in accordance with paragraph (3).”

The effect of regulation 4 is that notification is only required by those who are considered operators of a regulated slaughterhouse on 28 January 2026 (and notification must be given before the end of 28 days beginning with that date). We understand this date should have been 28 days from the 12 January 2026 (the coming into force date) and not the 28 January 2026.

Having considered the provisions when drafting the Sheep Carcass (Classification and Price Reporting) (Wales) Regulations 2025, it is the Welsh Government’s view that without the requirements of regulation 4 coming into effect, the overall requirement of the regulations have no practical purpose as they rest on the notification taking place first. The later date was chosen as England had already laid their Regulations and UK Government advised the date of 28 January in both sets of regulations would ensure the continuity that was expected would be achieved. The Welsh Government decided not to replicate this unintended discrepancy and to provide the same coming into force date as regulation 4.

Merit Scrutiny point 2: England and Wales are following the same regime as set out in the legislation, with England having laid their equivalent regulations in July 2025. It is also Welsh Government’s understanding that Scotland and Northern Ireland also intend to bring forward legislation reflecting the same regime. The Welsh Government will continue to monitor any developments in this area.

Technical drafting corrections to be made prior to the making of the Regulations

CORRECTIONS MADE TO THE WELSH TEXT PRIOR TO MAKING	CORRECTIONS MADE TO THE ENGLISH TEXT PRIOR TO MAKING
Rheoliadau Carcasau Defaid (Dosbarthu ac Adrodd am Brisiau) (Cymru) 2025	The Sheep Carcass (Classification and Price Reporting) (Wales) Regulations 2025
In regulation 2 (interpretation) of the Welsh text of the SI, in the definition of  “carcas” (“carcass”), paragraph (b) refers to the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2019/627 of 15 March 2019, where the term “Atodlen 2” is used, replace this with “Atodiad 2”.	N/A
Minor issues such as formatting, minor changes to the explanatory note and footnotes and correcting typographical errors will also be corrected prior to making.