477. Power of Secretary for purposes of inspection.
(1)The Secretary or any person authorised by him in writing for the purpose may, without notice, enter any slaughter house or any place where animals, poultry or fish intended for food are exposed for sale or where articles of food are being manufactured or exposed for sale at any time by day or night when the slaughter, exposure for sale or manufacture is being carried on and inspect the same and any utensil or vessel used for manufacturing, preparing or containing any such article.(2)Where the Secretary or any person authorised by him has reason to believe that in any place any animal intended for human food is being slaughtered or any carcasses, is being skinned or cut up, or that any food is being manufactured, stored, prepared, packed, cleansed, kept or exposed for sale or sold without or otherwise than in conformity with a licence, he may enter any such place without, notice, at any time, by day or night for the purpose of satisfying himself whether any provision of laws, byelaws or regulations or any condition of a licence is being contravened.(3)No claim shall lie against the Secretary or any person acting under his authority or the Municipality for any damage or inconvenience caused by the exercise of powers under this section or by the use of any force necessary for effecting an entry into any place under this section.(4)In any legal proceeding in respect of the powers exercised under this section in which it is alleged that any animal, poultry, fish or articles of food were not kept, exposed, hawked about, manufactured, prepared, stored, packed or cleansed for sale, or were not intended for human food, the burden of proof shall lie on the party so alleging.
