S.I. No. 11/1929 - Agricultural Produce (Eggs) Act, 1924.

STATUTORY RULES AND ORDERS. 1929. No. 11.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE (EGGS) ACT, 1924.

REGULATIONS MADE BY THE MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE (EGGS) ACT, 1924 .

Dated the 21st day of March, 1929.

I, Patrick Hogan, Minister for Agriculture, in virtue of the powers conferred on me by Section 20 of the Agricultural Produce (Eggs) Act, 1924 , and of all other powers in that behalf enabling me, do by this Order make the following Regulations, that is to say:—

DEFINITIONS.

1. In these Regulations:

(1) the expression "the principal Regulations" means the Agricultural Produce (Eggs) Regulations, 1925.

(2) the expression "Chemical Storage" means storage for the purpose of preserving eggs by any process which does not alter the composition of the shells, including storage in any gas, vapour or gaseous mixture.

MARKING OF EGGS.

2. (1) Fresh Eggs.—Fresh eggs, intended for export to a place of final destination in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, shall, before being packed on premises registered in the Register of Exporters, be marked with the following design, that is to say, an ellipse, with the words "Irish Free State" enclosed therein, and such design shall conform in all respects (including dimensions) with the following pattern:—

(2) During the period commencing on the 1st February and ending on the 30th June in each year, the shell of each such egg shall have the design prescribed by paragraph (1) of this Article marked thereon in black ink, and, at all other times, the shell of each such egg shall have the design prescribed by the said paragraph (1) marked thereon in red ink.

3. Trade Eggs.—Trade eggs, intended for export to a place of final destination in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, shall, before being packed on premises registered in the Register of Exporters, be marked as follows, that is to say:—

(1) The shell of each such egg shall be marked with the design prescribed by paragraph (1) of the foregoing Article, and the provisions of paragraph (2) of the said Article shall apply to the marking of each such egg in like manner as they apply to the marking of fresh eggs.

(2) The shell of each such egg shall be marked in ink with the words "Second Quality" in letters not less than 1/16th of an inch in height enclosed in a circle of not less than half-inch diameter.

4. Preserved Eggs.—Eggs which have been preserved otherwise than by cold storage or chemical storage, and which are intended for export to a place of final destination in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, shall, before being packed for despatch from premises registered in the Register of Exporters, in which they were tested and graded, be marked as follows, that is to say:—

(1) The shell of each such egg shall be marked with the design prescribe by paragraph (1) of Article 2 of these Regulations in black ink.

(2) The shell of each such egg shall be marked in ink with the word "Preserved" in letters of not less than 1/16th of an inch in height, enclosed in a circle of not less than half-inch diameter.

(3) The shell of each such egg, if a Trade egg, shall also be marked in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (2) of Article 3 of these Regulations.

5. (1) All marks prescribed by these Regulations shall be conspicuously placed on the shell of the egg, and shall be legible and durable and be clearly and sharply defined.

(2) All marks applied to the shell of an egg shall be so placed that no portion of any mark shall be superimposed on any portion of any other mark or marks on such egg, whether such marks or any of them are prescribed by these Regulations or are not so prescribed.

TESTING.

6. Paragraph (1) of Article 2 of Part III. of the principal Regulations shall be read and have effect as if for the words "within a period of 48 hours prior to despatch from the premises" now contained in the said paragraph there were substituted the following words, viz., "within a period of 72 hours prior to despatch from the premises."

MEDIUM AND MEDIUM COLD STORED.

7. (1) Paragraph (2) of Article 2 (Grading) of Part III. of the principal Regulations shall be read and have effect:

(a) as if for the definition of "Medium" given in that paragraph there were substituted the following definition, namely, "'Medium' shall mean eggs of reasonably uniform size and so selected that while the weight of each great hundred eggs shall be less than 14lb., no individual egg shall be included which weighs less than 13lb. per great hundred. Eggs shall be clean, free from stain, strong and sound in shell, with air space not exceeding three-sixteenths of one inch in depth, with white of egg translucent and firm and yolk faintly visible," and

(b) as if, in the class "Preserved Eggs," as set out therein, there were included "Medium Cold Stored," and, as if "Medium Cold Stored," were defined as "eggs preserved by means of artificial refrigeration, of reasonably uniform size so selected that, while the weight of each great hundred eggs shall be less than 14lb., no individual egg shall be included weighing less than 13lb. per great hundred. Eggs shall be clean, free from stain, sound in shell, with air space not exceeding three-eights of one inch in depth, with white of egg clear and firm and yolk moderately visible."

(2) Article 5 (Marking of Packages) of Part III. of the principal Regulations shall be read and have effect as applying also to packages containing eggs graded as "Medium Cold Stored."

DESCRIPTION OF QUANTITY OF EGGS.

8. Paragraph (9) of Article 5 of Part III. of the principal Regulations shall be read and have effect as if for that paragraph there were substituted the following paragraph:—

"The description of the quantity of eggs in the case shall be plainly burned, stamped, or stencilled on the left-hand bottom corner of the end board or lower end board as the case may be, in block capital type at least one inch in height."

DATE OF PACKING TO BE MARKED BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF PACKAGES.

9. Paragraph (10) of Article 5 of Part III. of the principal Regulations shall be read and have effect as if for that paragraph there were substituted the following paragraph:—

"The figure or figures or letters indicating the date of packing on the registered premises shall be plainly burned, stamped, or stencilled in block capital type, at least one inch in height both outside and inside of each compartment on a lower side board if the package is a No. 1 Standard Case, and both outside and inside on a lower side board of the package if the package is a No. 2 Standard Case, and both outside and inside of the package on one of the lower side boards if the package is a No. 3 Standard Case."

PROTECTION OF EGGS FROM CONTAMINATION, WET, ETC.

10. Article 6 of Part IV. of the principal Regulations shall be read and have effect as if for that Article there were substituted the following Article:—

"The following Regulations as to packages, packing materials, methods and manner of packing, storing and transport of eggs shall apply to all eggs intended for sale in circumstances to which the Regulations applying to premises registered in the Register of Exporters do not apply":

(a) "The stores or other places in which such eggs are kept shall be cool, dry, well-ventilated, and so situated and used that the eggs shall not be exposed to contamination from any materials or substance having a pronounced odour or taint."

(b) "The eggs shall be adequately protected from wet, damp, dirt or contamination during the course of transport or packing."

(c) "The packing materials used shall be clean, dry and free from objectionable odour."

(d) "Packages of eggs in course of transport shall at all times be adequately protected from adverse weather conditions and from contamination of any sort."

ITINERANT COLLECTION OF EGGS.

11. Packages used for the itinerant collection of eggs shall have the words "For collection only" plainly burned, stamped, or stencilled on each end of the packages in block letters at least three inches in height.

STANDARD CASE No. 3.

12. The First Schedule to the principal Regulations shall, as regards the specifications contained therein in relation to Standard Case No. 3, be read:—

(a) as if the following paragraph were included in those Specifications, viz.:

"Timber.—The wood shall be well seasoned, clean, dry, and free from bark, wane and feather, and large knots."

(b) as if, for the paragraph therein, as follows under "Nails and Nailing," viz.:

"The nails for making up Case No. 3 shall be not less than 1½ inches of 14 gauge,"

there were substituted the following paragraph, viz.:

"The nails for making up Case No. 3 shall be not less than 1½ inches of 14 gauge, except in the case of the nails used for fixing the cross battens to the end boards of the package, which shall be not less than one inch and 15 guage," and

(c) as if there were added thereto the specifications for No. 3 Standard Case (Large), contained in the Schedule to these Regulations.

APPLIANCES AND REQUISITES.

13. The Third Schedule to the principal Regulations shall be read:—

(a) as if, for the paragraph therein, as follows, viz.:

"Spring balance provided with arms or leaf large enough to accommodate a grading-tray and capable of weighing accurately from 1lb., by ½lb., to 50lb.,"

there were substituted the following paragraph, viz.:

"A balance provided with arms or leaf large enough to accommodate a grading tray and capable of weighing accurately from 1lb., by ½lb., to 50lb. If a spring balance is used, the dial of the balance shall be not less than nine inches in diameter and the balance shall be plugged for stamping."

(b) as if, for the paragraph therein, as follows, viz.:

"All letters must be at least one inch in height; every part of every letter must be at least one-eighth of an inch broad, and the total width of the space taken by every letter must be half-an-inch, except in the case of the letter I, while the space between adjoining letters must be half-an-inch,"

there were substituted the following paragraph, viz.:

"All letters and numbers must be at least one inch in height of block type: every part of every letter and number must be at least one-eighth of an inch broad, and the total width of the space taken by every letter and number must be at least half-an-inch, except in the case of the letter I and the figure 1, while the space between adjoining letters and numbers must be half-an-inch."

(c) as if, where efficient appliances, as specified therein, for stencilling or printing in black or for branding on packages are referred to, efficient appliances of metal or some other approved material were specified, and

(d) as if the requisites specified therein included an adequate supply of suitable requisites (stamps, ink, etc.), of approved pattern, composition or quality, as the case may be, for the purposes of the marking of individual eggs as prescribed by these Regulations.

COMMENCEMENT.

14. The provisions of these Regulations shall come into operation on the date hereof, except that the provisions in Articles 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Regulations shall operate as from the 15th April, 1929, inclusive.

SHORT TITLE AND CONSTRUCTION.

15. These Regulations may be cited as the Agricultural Produce (Eggs) Regulations, 1925, Amendment Regulations, 1929, and shall be construed as one with the principal Regulations.

Given under my Seal of Office, this 21st day of March, 1929.

P. HOGAN,

Minister for Agriculture.

SCHEDULE.

METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION OF No. 3 STANDARD CASE (LARGE).

This Case, which is designed for 3 hhd. (360) graded hen eggs and duck eggs, not less than 17lb., per 120, is fitted with fillers.

DESCRIPTION.

The Case shall be made in two compartments, each compartment to take 180 eggs, packed in fillers with flats between the fillers.

Timber.—The wood used for the construction of the Cases shall be of suitable strength, well seasoned, clean, dry and free from bark, wane and feather.

Ends.—Each end shall be not less than 13½ inches deep by 12³/₈ inches wide by 7/16 inch thick, and shall consist of three boards fixed upright, one of which shall be placed exactly in the middle of the end, and shall be not less than four inches wide. The end boards shall be nailed to cross battens measuring not less than 13 inches by 2½ inches by 7/16 inch thick, two on each end, fixed externally, one across the bottoms of the end boards and the other as close to the tops of the end boards as the construction of the lid permits. The battens shall be flush with the outer sides of the side boards.

Centre Division.—To be made of boards not less than 7/16 inch thick and to be 13½ inches deep, 12 3/8 inches wide. The division shall be fixed in the centre of the Case, secured by nails driven through the side and bottom boards.

Tops and Bottoms.—Each board shall be not less than 5/16 inch thick and not less than three inches in width.

Sides.—Each board shall be not less than 5/16 inch thick and not less than four inches in width.

* Spacing.—The spacing between any two adjoining boards throughout the Case shall nowhere exceed three-quarter inch. When spacing is provided between any two side boards, it shall be arranged so as to prevent any of the flats working through and the eggs coming in contact.

Fillers.—The fillers shall be of white wood pulp of calibre not less than .030, or other suitable material, 2½ inches in depth, each division shall be 1 ⁷/₈ inches square; the extreme width of a filler to be 12¼ inches; a flat of the same material shall be placed between each pair of fillers. A flat shall be placed underneath the bottom filler and another above the top filler, thus using 10 fillers and 11 flats.

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* NOTE.—When not intended for cold storing, spacing between boards is not essential,

A layer of fine wood wool shall be placed underneath each lowest filler and above each uppermost filler. These layers shall be such that each will be not less than one-quarter inch thick when the Case is closed down. Parchment paper envelopes (or pads) containing wood wool may be used instead.

† Nails and Nailing.—Not less than two nails shall be used in each board, including the cross battens, and an additional nail shall be used at each end of a board for every three inches or part of three inches by which the board exceeds five inches in width.

The nails for making up Case No. 3 shall be not less than 1½ inches of 14 gauge, except in the case of the nails used for fixing the cross battens to the end boards of the package, which shall be not less than one inch of 15 gauge:

All timber thicknesses specified are actual, not nominal.

† NOTE.—It is recommended that cement coated wire nails be used, and that, so far as possible, nails be driven askew the grain of the wood.