HIDES AND SKINS ACT

HIDES AND SKINS ACT

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

SECTION

1. Short title.

2. Power to make regulations.

3. Further powers of President.

HIDES AND SKINS ACT

An Act to enable regulations to be made for maintaining and improving the quality of Nigerian hides and skins and for regulating and controlling the trade and export of hides and skins.

[1942. No. 14. L.N. 131 of 1954.1958 No. 52.]

[6th October, 1942]

[Commencement.]

1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Hides and Skins Act.

2. Power to make regulations

The President may make regulations for all or any ofthe following purposes‐

(a) regulating the method of flaying, drying and preparation of hides and skins and providing for the appointment and payment of instructors;

(b) regulating and restricting the purchase, removal and transport of hides and skins and providing for the degree of dryness they shall possess;

(c) providing for the inspection and marking of hides and skins and generally controlling the preparation and sale of hides and skins;

(d) generally for maintaining or improving the quality of Nigerian hides and skins;

(e) providing for the licensing of premises used for the buying and preparation of hides and skins for export;

(f) prescribing the authorities who may grant, withhold or cancel licences, the obligation with regard to the production of licences, the form of licence and the fees payable in respect of them;

(g) providing for the appointment of inspectors and other officers to carry out the provisions of any regulations under this Act and investing them with powers necessary for the due execution of their duties and for giving effect to the purposes of this Act;

(h) prescribing the fees to be paid for any matter or thing done under any regula‐ tion under this Act;

(i) prescribing the area or areas to which all or any regulations shall apply.

3. Further powers of President

The President may make regulations for any of the purposes specified in section 2 of this Act so far as such regulations are relevant to trade and commerce with other coun‐

tries and between the States of the Federation, the establishment of standards of quality for hides and skins to be exported out of Nigeria and to the control of such export.

[L.N. 131 of 1954.1958 No. 52.]

HIDES AND SKINS ACT SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION

List of Subsidiary Legislation

1. Hides and Skins Regulations.

2. Hides and Skins (Authorised Persons) Notice.

HIDES AND SKINS REGULATIONS

[114 of 1942. 27 of 1943. L.N. 131 of 1954. 143 of 1954.]

under section 2

1. Citation

These Regulations may be cited as the Hides and Skins Regulations.

PART ,

General

2. Interpretation

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires‐

“approved manner of drying” means the method whereby hides are suspended ver‐ tically in a frame and skins suspended vertically in a frame or whereby hides or skins are suspended vertically from a pole or are hung lengthwise from head to tail along the mid‐ dle line of the back over a taut galvanised iron wire with the sides apart and whereby there is a free circulation of air on both sides and whereby the surface of any hide or skin is at least six inches from any other hide or skin;

“approved manner of flaying” means in the case of hides a method whereby the hide is not scarred or cut and in the case of skins a method whereby a knife is used only for making the initial cut and then the skin is drawn off by hand and in the case of both hides and skins a method whereby the hides and skins are short‐trimmed;

“authorised person” means a person authorised by the Director of Veterinary Re‐ search or by a Local Government with the approval of a Governor and the Director of Veterinary Research for the purpose of these Regulations;

“hide” means the hide of cattle;

“inspector” means a person appointed to be an inspector for the purposes of these Regulations either by the principal veterinary officer of the State or by the Local Gov‐ ernment with the approval of the Governor of the State and of such principal veterinary officer;

[L.N. 131 of 1954.]

“skin” means the skin of sheep or goats;

“thoroughly dried” in reference to a hide or a skin means one that will not lose more than six per cent of its weight, as represented by loss of moisture on being exposed to free circulation of air under a roof for twenty‐ four hours;

“wet” means any hide or skin which has not been dried at all in any manner.

3.Except as hereinafter expressly provided, no hide or skin intended for sale shall be removed from the place where it has been flayed until it has been thoroughly dried.

PART ,

Prescribed areas

4.The provisions of this Part of these Regulations shall apply only to those areas which the President may declare by notice in the Federal Gazette to be prescribed areas.

5.All hides and skins shall be flayed in the approved manner of flaying.

6.All hides and skins shall immediately after flaying be hung up to dry until thoroughly

dried in the approved manner of drying in the drying shed provided for that purpose or in the shade if no drying shed is provide

7. (1) In any place where no drying shed or other place suitable for keeping hides and skins overnight at any market or place of flaying exists, such hides and skins may be re‐ moved at sunset to the nearest premises approved by an inspector or authorised person where they shall be dried in the approved manner of drying until thoroughly dried.

(2) An inspector or authorised person may require that such hides and skins shall be brought back on the following morning to be dried in the approved manner of drying at the market or place of flaying as the case may be.

8. In any particular circumstances, permission may be granted by an inspector or authorised person‐

[L.N. 143 of 1954.]

(a) to remove hides and skins immediately after flaying to premises approved by him where they shall be hung up to dry immediately in the approved manner of drying until thoroughly dried; or

(b) to remove hides to premises where they shall be tanked without delay in an efficient preservative solution and then hung up to dry in the approved manner of drying until thoroughly dried; or

(c) to remove wet hides and skins for use in local industries.

9.All hides and skins which are flayed and dried to the satisfaction of an inspector within a prescribed area shall be stamped by such inspector with the stencil and punch mark allotted to that area or to a particular part of that area.

PART ,,

Miscellaneous

10.Except as provided by regulations 7 and 8 no person shall purchase or cause to be purchased any hide or skin which‐

(a) has been taken from the place where it has been flayed before it has been thoroughly dried; or

(b) which he has reason to believe has not been dried in the approved manner of drying.

11.An inspector may at all reasonable hours enter‐

(a) any private premises or enclosure where hides and skins are dried; or

(b) any premises where the business of buying and packing hides and skins is car‐ ried on or where he has reason to believe such business is being carried on,

and there inspect any hides and skins.

12.No person, with intent to deceive, shall‐

(a) treat any hide or skin in any way whatsoever in order to hide, cover up, or obliterate any cuts, scratches, scores, brand‐marks, lesions caused by disease or any other flaw or blemish; or

(b) adulterate any hide or skin by or with any substance for the purpose of in‐ creasing the weight thereof.

13. (1) An inspector may stop any person whom he has reason to believe is carrying hides or skins or he may stop any vehicle, boat or pack animal that he has reason to be‐ lieve is being used to transport hides or skins and thereupon he may inspect the hides and skins or he may direct the person carrying the hides and skins or in charge of such vehicle, boat or pack animal as the case may be to convey the hides or skins to some suitable place where the inspector may inspect them.

(2) An inspector may enter into any railway premises for the purpose of inspecting hides or skins in the course of transport by rail.

(3) The provisions of paragraph (1) of this regulation shall not apply to hides or skins baled for export.

14. Use of unlicensed premises prohibited

(1) No person shall use any premises or enclosure as a place for the buying of or the preparation of hides or skins for export, unless such premises or enclosure are licensed by the principal officer of the Veterinary Department of the State in which the premises are situated.

[L.N. 143 of 1954.]

Issue of licences

(2) The principal officer of the Veterinary Department of a State may license prem‐ ises or enclosures in the State as a place for the buying of and the preparation of hides and skins for export.

[L.N. 143 of 1954.]

Form of licence

(3) A licence shall be in the manner prescribed in Form B in the Schedule to these Regulations and shall expire on the 31 st day of December in the year in which it is is‐ sued, and may be renewed from year to year.

[L.N. 143 of 1954.]

Power to cancel a licence and appeal to Governor

(4) The principal officer of the Veterinary Department of a State may, in his discre‐ tion, cancel a licence granted by him, and any person aggrieved by a decision of the principal officer of the Veterinary Department of a State to cancel a licence or to refuse the grant or renewal of a licence may, within fourteen days from the date of such decision, appeal to the Governor of the State whose decision thereon shall be final.

[L.N. 143 of 1954.]

Condition precedent to grant of licence

(5) No premises or enclosure shall be licensed unless a medical officer for health, or a person nominated by him, and an officer of the Veterinary Department of the State have both first certified that the premises or enclosure, in respect of which an application for a licence is made, are suitable for the buying of and the preparation of hides and skins for export.

[L.N. 143 of 1954.]

Licence subject to conditions

(6) Every licence granted under paragraph (2) shall be subject to the following con‐ ditions‐

[L.N. 143 of 1954.]

(a) no hides or skins which are not the property of the holder of the licence shall be prepared on the premises or enclosure to which the licence relates;

(b) the holder of a licence shall register, with the principal officer of the Vet‐ erinary Department of the State, all shipping marks which are used for marking hides or skins on the premises or enclosure, and shall not change the shipping marks so registered without giving fourteen days’ previous notice in writing to the principal officer of the Veterinary Department of the State; and

(c) the shipping marks used on the premises or enclosure shall indicate the State in which the premises or enclosure are situated.

Application for licence

(7) An application for a licence shall be made in duplicate, in the manner prescribed in Form A in the Schedule to these Regulations, to the principal officer of the Veterinary Department of the State in which the premises or enclosure are situated.

[Schedule. L.N. 143 of 1954.]

Licence fee

(8) A fee of two naira shall be payable for a licence and for each renewal of a licence.

SCHEDULE FORM A

Application for licensing of export premises

[Regulation 14 (7).]

(1) Full name of applicant (BLOCK LETTERS)

(2) Usual address ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. (3) Nationality ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(4) Occupation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(5) Address of premises/enclosure for which a licence is sought; if previously licensed. give par‐ ticulars of licence issued

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(6) Has a license in respect of these premises/enclosure ever been withheld or cancelled? If so give details ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. . (7) What staff of selectors and supervisors will be employed? …………………………………………………. . Gi ve particulars of their experience ……………………………………………………………………………………… .

FORM A‐continued

Declaration‐I declare that the particulars contained in the foregoing application for the licensing of export premises/enclosure are true to the best of my/our knowledge and belief.

DATED this ……………………. day of……………………………………………………….. 20

…………………………………….. .

(Signed)

FORM B

The Hides and Skins Regulations Licence to keep export premises

[Regulation 14 (3).]

A licence under paragraph (2) of regulation 14 of the Hides and Skins Regulations is hereby

granted to …………………………………………………… of ………………………………………… in respect of

the premises/enclosure described herein for the buying and preparation of hides and skins for

export ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(Description of premises or enclosure)

Fee paid N2.

Date …………………………………………… .

Principal Officer of the Veterinary Department …………..State.

HIDES AND SKINS (AUTHORISED PERSONS) NOTICE

under regulation 2 of the Hides and Skins Regulations [Public Notice 164 of 1951.]

1. List of authorised persons

The undermentioned officials shall be the authorised persons for the purposes of the Hides and Skins Regulations‐

(a) Assistant directors of veterinary services;

(b) Senior veterinary officers;

(c) Veterinary officers;

(d) Assistant veterinary officers;

(e) Principal hides improvement officer;

(f) Hides and skins instructors;

(g) Hides improvement officers; and

(h) Veterinary assistants.

2. Short title

[L.N. 143 of 1954.]

This Notice may be cited as the Hides and Skins (Authorised Persons) Notice.