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Compulsory use of approved instrument for slaughter of animals.
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15.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, no person shall in a slaughter-house, slaughter or render unconscious for the purpose of slaughter an animal of any particular kind by any means or in any manner otherwise than by means of an instrument which is an approved instrument in relation to animals of that particular kind and is in good working order and is used in the approved manner.
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(2) Nothing in this section shall apply to or render unlawful—
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(a) the slaughter of any animal for consumption as food by Jews, where such slaughter is carried out according to the Jewish method by a Jew who is for the time being approved in that behalf by the Chief Rabbi of the Irish Free State for the time being or in his absence by the Board of Shechita of the Jewish Community of Dublin,
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or
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(b) the slaughter of any animal for consumption as food by Mahommedans, where such slaughter is carried out according to the Mahommedan method by a Mahommedan, or
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(c) the slaughter of any animal by any means in the course of an inquiry, investigation, or experiment made by direction of the Minister for Agriculture under this Part of this Act.
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(3) Every person who slaughters or renders unconscious any animal in contravention 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 ten pounds, and in the case of a second or any subsequent such offence, to a fine not exceeding twenty-five pounds.
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(4) Where a person is charged with having committed an offence under this section and the act alleged to constitute such offence consisted of the slaughtering or rendering unconscious for the purpose of slaughter of an animal otherwise than by means of an approved instrument, it shall be a good defence to such charge for such person to show—
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(a) that an approved instrument which would normally have been available for such slaughter or rendering unconscious of such animal had ceased (without any neglect or default on the part of such person or, where such person is not the owner of such instrument, such owner or of any servant or agent of such person or such owner) to be in good order and repair, and
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(b) that immediately upon the defective condition of such instrument being detected by or brought to the notice of such person or such owner (as the case may be), he took all proper steps to have such instrument put into good working order or to obtain a new approved instrument in lieu thereof, and
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(c) that no other approved instrument was reasonably obtainable for the purpose of the said slaughter or rendering unconscious of such animal, and
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(d) that all reasonable steps were taken in the said slaughter or rendering unconscious to avoid causing unnecessary pain or suffering to such animal.
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(5) Whenever the Minister for Agriculture makes an Order under this Part of this Act declaring a particular type of instrument to be an approved instrument for the purposes of this Part of this Act in relation to pigs, the said Minister may, by the same or another order, declare that this section shall apply to pigs, and may by any subsequent order amend or revoke the order making such declaration.
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(6) This section shall not apply to pigs save when and for so long as an order made by the Minister for Agriculture declaring that this section shall apply to pigs is in force.
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