CROSS RIVER – HIDES AND SKINS LAW
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LAWS OF CROSS RIVER STATE
CHAPTER H1
HIDES AND SKINS LAW
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
SECTION
- Power to make regulations.
- Citation.
SCHEDULE
Forms
CHAPTER H1
HIDES AND SKINS LAW
A Law to enable regulations to be made for maintaining and improving the quality of hides and skins and for regulating and controlling the sale of hides and skins.
(6th October, 1942)
[Commencement]
- Power to make regulations
The Commissioner may make regulations for all or any of the 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) generally for maintaining or improving the quality of hides and skins;
(d) providing for the licensing of premises used for the buying and preparation of skins for export;
(e) 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;
(f) providing for the appointment of inspectors and other officers to carry out the provisions of any regulations under this Law and investing them with powers necessary for the due execution of their duties and for giving effect to the purposes of this Law;
(g) prescribing the fees to be paid for any matter or thing done under any regulation under this Law;
(h) prescribing the area or areas to which all or any regulations shall apply.
- Citation
This Law may be cited as the Hides and Skins Law.
CHAPTER H1
HIDES AND SKINS LAW
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION
List of Subsidiary Legislation
- Hides and Skins Regulations.
- Prescribed Areas Notice.
HIDES AND SKINS REGULATIONS
- These Regulations may be cited as the Hides and Skins Regulations.
PART 1
GENERAL
- In these regulations—
“approved manner of drying” means the method whereby hides are suspended vertically 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 middle 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 Chief Veterinary Officer or by a Local Government with the approval of the Permanent Secretary and the Chief Veterinary Officer for the purpose of these regulations;
“hide” means the hide of cattle;
“inspector” means a person appointed to be an inspector for the purpose of these regulations either by the Chief Veterinary Officer or by a Local Government with the approval of such Chief Veterinary Officer;
“the Permanent Secretary” means the Permanent Secretary having supervision of matters and departments with responsibility for which the appropriate authority is charged;
“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 centum 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.
- 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 2
PRESCRIBED AREAS
- The provisions of this Part of these regulations shall apply only to those areas which the Commissioner may declare by notice in the State Gazette to be prescribed areas.
- All hides and skins shall be flayed in the approved manner of flaying.
- 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 provided.
- (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 removed 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.
- In any particular circumstances permission may be granted by an inspector or authorised person—
(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 preservation 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.
- 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 3
MISCELLANEOUS
- 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.
- Any 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 carried on or where he has reason to believe such business is being carried on, and there inspect any hides and skins.
- 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 increasing the weight thereof.
- (1) An inspector may stop any person who 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 believe 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. An inspector may enter into any railway premises for the purpose of inspecting hides or skins in the court of transport by rail.
(2) The provisions of sub-regulation (1) shall not apply to hides or skins baled for export.
- (1) No person shall use any premises or enclosures as a place for the buying of or the preparation of hides or skins for export, unless such premises or enclosures are licensed by the Chief Veterinary Officer.
(2) The Chief Veterinary Officer may license premises or enclosures as a place for the buying of and the preparation of hides and skins for export.
(3) A licence shall be in Form B of the Schedule and shall expire on the 31st day of December in the year in which it is issued, and may be renewed from year to year.
(4) The Chief Veterinary Officer may, in his discretion, cancel a licence granted by him, and any person aggrieved by a decision of the Chief Veterinary Officer 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 Commissioner whose decision thereon shall be final.
(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 Division of the Ministry have both first certified that the premises or enclosure, in respect of which an application for a licence is made, is suitable for the buying of and the preparation of hides and skins for export.
(6) Every licence granted under sub-regulation (2) shall be subject to the following conditions—
(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 Chief Veterinary Officer, 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 Chief Veterinary Officer; and
(c) the shipping marks used on the premises or enclosure shall indicate the State in which the premises or enclosure is situated.
(7) An application for a licence shall be made in duplicate, on the Form A in the Schedule, to the Chief Veterinary Officer.
(8) A fee of two naira shall be payable for a licence and for each renewal of a licence.
- Any person who wilfully interferes with an inspector or authorised person in the execution of his duty is guilty of an offence against these regulations.
- Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of these regulations shall be liable on conviction for a first offence to a fine of forty naira or imprisonment for three months or both and for any subsequent offence to a fine of one hundred naira or imprisonment for six months or both.
SCHEDULE
FORM A
Application for Licensing of Export Premises
[Reg. 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 particulars of licence issued …………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………..
(6) Has a licence 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? ……………… ……………………………………………………………………………………..Give particulars of their experience …………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………..
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
Licence to Keep Export Premises
[Reg. 14 (3).]
A licence under sub-regulation (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 ₦2
Date …………………………………………
………………………………………….. Chief Veterinary Officer
HIDES AND SKINS (PRESCRIBED AREAS) NOTICE
- This notice may be cited as the Hides and Skins (Prescribed Areas) Notice.
- The Cross River State shall be a prescribed area for the purposes of Part 2 of the Hides and Skins Regulations.
