Legislation

Agriculture | Food | Civil Law | Safety | Fair Trading | Weights & Measures 

Agriculture 

Agriculture Act 1970

• Provides for controls of fertilisers and animal feeding stuffs 
• Requires statutory labelling of fertilisers and animal feeding stuffs 
• Prohibits excess deleterious materials in animal feeding stuffs 
• Sets maximum levels for certain substances         

Feeding Stuffs (Establishments & Intermediaries) Regulations 1998

• Provides for controls of feeding stuffs by requiring the registration/approval certain establishments.         

Medicines Act 1968

• Controls the incorporation of medicinal products in animal feeding stuffs         

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Food

Food Labelling Regulations 1996 

• Requires specific statutory labelling of most food & drink 
• Controls the nutrition labelling of food & drink         

Food Safety Act 1990

• Controls the quality and standards of food and drink 
• Controls the description, presentation & advertising food and drink 
• Controls claims made for food and drink 
• Prohibits adulteration of food and drink         

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Civil Law

Cheques Act 1992

• Enables consumers to protect payment by cheque         

Consumer Arbitration Agreements Act 1988

• Prohibits compulsory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts         

Limitation Act 1980

• Prevents action being taken by parties to a contract after 6 years         

Misrepresentation Act 1967

• Gives consumers civil redress for misrepresentation of goods         

Sale of Goods Act 1979 as amended by Sale of Goods (Amendment) Act 1994, Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994 and Sale of Goods Act 1995

• Details the rights of purchasers and the duties of sellers in the sale of goods         

Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982

• For contracts other than for the sale of goods, details the rights of purchasers and the duties of sellers         

Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977

• Allows holders of other people’s goods to sell them if certain conditions are complied with         

Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977

• Makes void unfair contract terms         

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Safety

Consumer Protection Act 1987 

• Provides for the protection and safety of consumers by enabling Regulations/Orders to be made controlling consumer goods 
• Prohibits the supply of unsafe goods         

General Product Safety Regulations 1994

• Fills the gaps in European consumer safety legislation (i.e. covers any goods not covered by specific Regulations/Orders made under the Consumer Protection Act).         

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Fair Trading

Business Names Act 1985

• Requires a person, partnership or company, which trades under a name which is not its own, to display particulars of ownership on trading premises and stationery         

Consumer Credit Act 1974

• Controls consumer credit and hire 
• Requires licensing of credit and hire traders 
• Controls credit and hire advertising 
• Controls the formats used to indicate credit charges         

Consumer Protection Act 1987, Part III

• Prohibits misleading price indications         

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 as amended by The Broadcasting Act 1990 

• Establishes legal protection for designs 
• Creates criminal offence to combat counterfeiting 
• Controls making, importing or distributing infringing copies of copyright material         

Estate Agents Act 1979

• Governs accounts in respect of clients’ money 
• Controls certain activities of estate agents 
• Provides powers to ban ‘unfit’ persons from estate agency         

Fair Trading Act 1973

• Promotes fair trading 
• Provides for controls on persistent offenders who contravene trading laws         

Prices Acts 1974 and 1975

• Provides power to regulate the price display of certain goods 
• Provides protection and price information for consumers 
• Promotes fair trading 
• Provides power to control the manner in which prices and sale prices of goods may be indicated         

Property Misdescriptions Act 1991

• Prohibits the use of false or misleading descriptions in the sale of a property 
• Makes various practises associated with buying and selling of property illegal         

Trade Descriptions Act 1968

• Prohibits misdescriptions of goods 
• Prohibits false claims for services, accommodation and facilities          

Trade Marks Act 1994

• Creates an offence for the fraudulent application or use of a trade mark         

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Weights & Measures 

Weights and Measures Act 1985

• Controls weighing and measuring equipment used for trade 
• Prohibits the sale of "shortweight" goods 
• Controls public weighing equipment 
• Provides controls on the average weight system