Agricultural Produce (Eggs) Act, 1939

Possession, sale, etc., of dirty eggs.

49.—(1) It shall not be lawful for any person to sell or to offer or expose for sale or to consign to any place, whether inside or outside Ireland, any eggs which are externally dirty.

(2) It shall not be lawful for any person to purchase for resale any eggs which are externally dirty unless the eggs were so purchased in such circumstances that such person could not reasonably have known that the eggs were externally dirty.

(3) It shall not be lawful for any registered wholesaler to have in his possession, after the expiration of the prescribed time for the testing of eggs by registered wholesalers, any eggs which are externally dirty unless the eggs are marked and set aside for disposal in the prescribed manner.

(4) It shall not be lawful for any registered dealer to have in his possession any eggs which are externally dirty and were acquired by him from a producer.

(5) It shall not be lawful for any retailer to have in his possession, after the expiration of the prescribed time for the examination of eggs by retailers after acquisition, any eggs which are externally dirty.

(6) Every person who contravenes, whether by act or omission, any sub-section of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof, in the case of a first such offence, to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds or, in the case of a second or any subsequent such offence, to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds, or, at the discretion of the Court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(7) Where a registered dealer is charged with an offence under this section and the act alleged to constitute the offence is a contravention of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of this section, it shall be a good defence to such charge for such registered dealer to show that he acquired the eggs from another registered dealer.